Torchwood: Archangel
by DarqueQueen7
Summary: A warrior from the Great Time War falls through the Rift. Now the Archangel becomes Torchwood's responsibility - and the Archangel needs to learn how to live. Set after Exit-Wounds.
1. Chapter 1: Downed Angel

Torchwood: Archangel

Chapter One: Downed Angel

She awoke to disorientation and a sense of freefall. In the distance she could hear warning claxons blaring. Then she remembered…The Great War. Creation versus the Daleks. Her masters, the House of Tovar, Majesties of the planet Nexain were helping the Gallifreyans fight what was becoming a losing battle.

Eva Tovar, Cybernetic Archangel of the House of Tovar, immediately ran internal diagnostics to assess damage to herself then to the ship. Accessing the ship's emergency mainframe, she cut the claxons. If any Kai were still alive, they pretty much knew they were in trouble without being made deaf by it. The ship, Prince Keln Tovar's **THE REGENT**, had taken a direct hit from the Dalek Crucible and was heavily damaged. The only reason they were not obliterated was because Eva had fired all main Anti-Proton canons at the beam coming from the Crucible. But as she looked around the command deck, the wreckage and silence of all the PDT's of the bridge crew made her realized it hadn't been enough.

On top of her, the captain's corpse lay. Reverently, she laid him on the floor. She remembered the captain had pushed her into his chair at the last second, telling her to take control of the ship as he threw himself on top of her.

_A mere Kai protecting __**me**_, she mused as she leveled out the ship. **THE REGENT** was no longer in freefall, but she could not achieve proper altitude and the ship was listing terribly to the rear and port side. She began sifting through the wreckage of the main consoles; she needed to gain access to the Engineering computer mainframe to attain Ion Engine Control. Then she remembered; Engineering was located on that side. If Engineering was gone, then the ship was doomed.

Finding the diodes she needed, she jacked herself directly into all of the ship's computer mainframes. She was able to access Ion Control; but the system was badly damaged. She would need to remain in place in order to insure a proper firing sequence. Reports began coming in from all over the ship: massive system failures were scattered throughout. The Daleks were advancing on the remaining pockets of Kai resistance. Immediately, she began accessing ship diagrams, shutting down access blast door and dead-lock sealing them; attempting to save what Kai she could.

She then sent out secondary search programs: _Acquire information from the Fleet and locate His Lordship. Locate any viable PDT's – locate viable lifesigns, sparks from others of the Archangel Detail_.

Responses were immediate – and the information chilled her blood.

Captain and bridge crew – PDT's silent. Archangel Detail – PDT's silent. Engineering – PDT's and Computer Controls silent. Maintenance – PDT's silent. Battalion crews – PDT's silent. Only half of the ship's computer systems were answering – requesting orders.

The captain gave her command of THE REGENT – and with that, Eva was given all command codes to all systems. She gave them orders:

_ALL SYSTEMS: MAINTAIN LIFE SUPPORT AND GRAVITY CONTROL WHERE KAI RESISTANCE IS STILL VIABLE. EXTINGUISH ALL ONBOARD FIRES WHERE CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS ARE STILL FUNCTIONAL. DEREZZ ALL DALEKS WHERE REMAINING KAI ARE IN DANGER. HAVE ALL REMAINING KAI TO CONVERGE ON BAY 07. CONTACT HAS BEEN MADE WITH THE FRIGGET __**IRADICATOR**__, SHE WILL TAKE ON SURVIVORS_.

An emergency transmission suddenly broke through – _his Lordship and half of his personal guard were acquired – PDT transmissions were confirmed!_ Three Daleks had them pinned three corridors and two levels above Bay 07. Eva Tovar did not hesitate.

_ACTIVATE CORRIDOR ANTI-PROTON GUNS. NEUTRALIZE DALEK THREAT_.

The Archangel felt a deep sense of satisfaction when confirmation of the Daleks' destruction was sent. She grabbed a few diodes from the destroyed comm unit in front of her and jacked them into her internal system.

_MY LORD_, she said reverently into her master's mind.

_Eva_, he responded. _Status report_.

_**THE REGENT**__ IS FAILING. I AM RECEIVING REPORTS FROM WHAT IS LEFT OF THE FLEET. YOUR FATHER'S SHIP WENT DOWN WITH ALL HANDS, MY LORD. YOU ARE NOW KING KELN TOVAR, LEADER OF ALL PLANET NEXAIN. THE GALLIFREYANS ARE PREPARING TO DETONATE THEIR MASTER SOLUTION, MY KING. THEY ARE ADVISING ALL SHIPS TO VACATE THE AREA. I HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH THE FRIGGET __**THE IRADICATOR**__; SHE IS 100% OPERATIONAL AND HER JUMP SYSTEMS ARE FUNCTIONAL AND ONLINE. HER CREW'S PDT'S ARE ALL SILENT, BUT HER AI JACOPO IS ONLINE AND READY TO ASSIST._

_Recommendations?_

_BOARD __**THE IRADICATOR**__ IMMEDIATELY. I HAVE GIVEN HER PERMISSION TO DOCK AT BAY 07. HER ETA IS 25 MICRO-RELLS. I HAVE MADE A SAFE PASSAGE FOR YOU AND THE REMAINING KAI TO BAY 07. YOU MUST HURRY, MY LIEGE. THERE IS LITTLE TIME._

_Understood_, her master replied. _Disengage from your location and meet us_ –

_I REGRET THAT I CAN NOT FOLLOW THAT COMMAND, MY KING. I AM ALL THAT CONTROLS THE ION ENGINES AT THIS TIME. ION CONTROL WENT OFF-LINE WHEN ENGINEERING WENT SILENT. I CAN NOT RAISE ANY OF THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT ALL OF ENGINEERING OR MAINTENANCE. DUE TO THE SHIP'S PRESENT LISTING, I BELIEVE BOTH THOSE SECTIONS ARE OPEN TO SPACE – AND ALL WITHIN PERISHED_.

It was at this point that she felt her Lord's sorrow…she had known him since he was a lad – she was created ten years after his birth, shortly before his mother, The Queen died. He jokingly referred to her as the sister he never had.

_I AM SORRY TO HAVE SADDENED YOU, MY LORD. I HAVE FAILED IN MY DUTY TO YOU. FORGIVE ME_.

_You have nothing to be ashamed of, Archangel Tovar. My father gave you our family name, you were worthy of it then – and even more worthy of it now. You have served me well, my Dearest Eva. In the event that you should survive – _

_THERE IS A LESS THAN 10 PERCENT PROBABILITY, MY LIEGE._

_Should you survive, my stubborn Archangel_, her Lord continued. _I remove all safeties within your mainframe. You will find a message from myself and one from Father. They are meant to guide you – you are the last of your kind, Eva. You will have the ability to pass your gifts to one Kai – choose wisely, my Archangel. The one you choose will be your mate throughout time – and as you will be their teacher, you will also be their student_.

Eva was silent for a moment, processing this new information. Then it dawned on her. _YOU HAVE FORSEEN THIS._

_Yes. And so did Father. Your own Gifts will activate soon enough._

_AND WHERE WILL I MAKE PLANETFALL?_

_The TimeLord called Doctor called the planet Earth. You may meet him there. You will be in the service of one of his former companions…several in fact._

_AND THE COMPANION'S DESIGNATION?_

_The files will give you all the information you will need. Good hunting, my Archangel. Good life, Eva Tovar_.

_YOU ARE AT BAY 07. __**THE IRADICATOR**__ IS DOCKED AND DEPRESSURIZED. ALL REMAINING KAI ARE ALREADY ON BOARD. JACOPO IS AWAITING YOUR ORDERS, MY LIEGE. ONCE YOU BOARD, ALL DESIGNATIONS AND CALL SIGNS WILL PASS FROM __**THE REGENT**__ TO __**THE IRADICATOR**__, GIVING YOU COMMAND OF THE FLEET. BOTH YOU AND THE REMAINING FLEET SHOULD MAKE JUMP COORDINATES TO PUT YOU ON THE NIGHTSIDE OF NEXAIN_.

She paused then, wiping a tear from her eye. She realized she would never see her master, her lord, her _friend_…again.

_MAY YOUR RULE LAST ONE THOUSAND YEARS, MY LORD. MY LIEGE. MY KING. MY FRIEND. MY BROTHER._

_Fare thee well, little warrior_, came his quiet reply – and then he was gone.

When his mind disengaged connection – all the safeties within her internal mainframe systems dissolved. Information she was never privy to suddenly flooded her processing centers. She gasped, her hands reaching out to nothing as she began processing all the information…and suddenly a loud explosion behind her blew the dead-locked sealed blast doors out of its frame into the damaged bridge. Two Daleks rolled in as Eva turned her chair to face them.

'EXTERMINATE!' the yelled in unison, raising their weapons towards her and firing.

_ANTI-PROTON GUNS FIRE_, Archangel Eva Tovar, last of the Archangel Detail of the House of Tovar commanded.

One Dalek disintegrated on the spot. The other made a fatal mistake – and sealed the Archangel's fate.

'EMERGENCY SPACIAL-TEMPORAL SHIFT!'

And Eva leapt from the Captain's chair latching onto the Dalek's frame as the TimeLords activated their Master Solution Device - and she and the Dalek were thrown into the Rifts of Time and Space.


	2. Chapter 2: Battle Angel

Author's Note: Sorry I didn't do this before. So here – Don't own Torchwood – just like taking the characters out for LONG test drives….enjoy!

Torchwood: Archangel

Chapter Two: Battle Angel

She awoke to pain – and realization. She and the Dalek were no longer within the Rift. They had to have landed at one of the Rift's many openings. But where? And when? King Tovar had said the planet was called Earth. And if she was here…where in the Maker's Realm was the Dalek?!

She tried to rise from where she had fallen, and promptly fell down again. Running internal diagnostic programs, she began to glow as nano genes exited her internal structure and began making both external and internal repairs. After two rells time, the nano genes re-entered her body, their jobs complete. She was at peak operational efficiency and her outer skin was at 100 percent.

She then began running external information location programs as she stood up slowly; mapping the internal structure of the building she was in. She was attempting to find out where she was. She received a return hit almost immediately. What made it odd was the fact that the program that responded was partially alien; too advanced for the Kai of this place…or at least that was what King and former Prince Tovar's messages led her to believe. After a few seconds of hacking into the system, she froze. The program was attempting to acquire information **from her!** After cautiously reestablishing contact, she enquired as to its location – and her own. The system informed her that she was in contact with the Mainframe of Torchwood 3 located in Cardiff, Wales, UK.

K_ai and their names_, she thought dryly.

Her present location was 15.2 miles from their base and representatives were on their way to establish contact and collect her. Would she like to give the system her designation? She gave her consent – then informed the systems that she did not arrive alone. A lone Dalek had fallen through the Rift with her. Would the representatives have armaments capable of neutralizing a Dalek? The system suddenly went off-line and a male Kai voice answered.

'This is Captain Jack Harkness, Commander of Torchwood 3 Cardiff. Identify yourself.'

Tears suddenly came to Eva's eyes. _Captain Jack Harkness_…her masters both saw HIM. He was her new liege. And the _other_ was with him…

'My Lord Captain,' she said softly, emotion making her voice tremble slightly. She corrected that immediately. 'My designation is Archangel Eva Tovar of the House of Tovar. I was the Personal Guard of King Keln Tovar. We were battling the Dalek Crucible in conjunction with the Gallifreyans. My King's ship was damaged beyond repair; I was able to escape the Gallifreyans' Master Solution by jumping onto a Dalek as it made an emergency temporal spacial jump. I was injured upon exit of the Rift, but all repairs have been made and I am now fit and able to assist you, my Lord Captain.'

'Why does she keep calling you 'My Lord'?,' a female Kai voice asked.

'Sign of respect for the chain of authority,' Captain Harkness explained quickly. 'It was a Nexainian custom."

'You are correct, my Lord," Eva answered. She was pleased she was dealing with a Kai that didn't have to be taught too much. She wasn't thrilled with the fact that he had said 'was'. Past tense.

'Archangel Tovar. What is your present location?' Harkness asked.

'I appear to be in an abandoned building. I have mapped its internal structure and can send that to you now. Unfortunately, I can not give you a more definite location because I no longer have access to your computer mainframe – I have no onboard information concerning this Earth or this Cardiff Wales UK. I can send a signal to your system, if you will permit me. I apologize for my inadequacy in this instance, my Lord Captain.'

Harkness snorted. 'Forgiven and forgotten, Archangel Tovar. Permission is granted. You have access to our computer mainframe. Are you capable of neutralizing the Dalek without assistance?'

'Of course, my Lord Captain. I have the Dalek's signal and am transmitting it to you now.'

'Sir,' another male Kai voice answered. 'They are in the warehouse district by the docks. Pier 53, ETA 3 minutes.'

'Did you get that, Tovar?' Harkness asked.

'Affirmative, my Lords and Lady. I will try to have the enemy neutralized before your arrival.'

'Archangel Tovar!' Jack suddenly roared. 'Don't do anything stupid!'

AFFIRMATIVE MY LORD CAPTAIN, she replied, using the SUV's computer screens to relay the message.

'Damn it!' Harkness cursed. 'She's gone into stealth mode.'

'Jack?' Gwen asked as she was loading her gun's clip with rounds of hollow point bullets that Ianto had handed her. 'What is an Archangel?'

Jack sighed. 'They were the stuff of legends, like The TimeLords and The Great Time War. Did you know that the Daleks used to call the Doctor _The Oncoming Storm_? But the Archangels…there was no other name for them. They were simply _The Great One's Archangels_.'

'You mean like God's?' Ianto asked, handling Jack his Wembley, also filled with hollow point bullets.

'Yes. In the Bible, if God sent an Archangel down; it was a good thing for the Israelites and a bad thing for anyone and everything else. The Nexainians only created seven – like God's seven. Ancient Mythology said all of them fell protecting their King and their people. King Keln Tovar mourned them all, but the loss of Archangel Eva Tovar hurt him the most. She was created from DNA from his father the Old King and his mother The Queen. She died shortly thereafter. It was said the King and Prince treasured her because she was the last creation of their wife and mother respectively. King Keln Tovar had a statue and temple dedicated to her after The Time War that still stand on the planet. The species, however, have long since perished.'

'Poor lamb,' Gwen said softly. 'She will be devastated.'

'I'm not so sure,' Ianto interjected.

'What do you mean?' Jack asked as he swerved into a parking lot near the signal's point of origin. He killed the engine and the lights as Ianto jumped out of the passenger seat towards the rear of the SUV. He then opened the boot and began assembling three versions of THE BIG GUN Jack had used last at Gwen's wedding. Ianto turned on his ear comm.

'She spoke of her King in the past tense. She knows they are gone. She just may not know how long gone.'

Gwen and Jack both put on night-vision goggles as Ianto handed them the large weapons. He then donned a set himself. Jack then cocked his weapon.

'Okay, let's move-.'

The rest of what Jack was about to say was cut off by a massive explosion in the building above them. A section of wall fell from the seventh floor – and a Dalek form came down with it, 100 yards to the right of their location.

TAKE COVER! Tovar's voice hissed into their ear comms. The three ran to the rear of the SUV, weapons cocked and at the ready. At Jack's silent command, they spread out. Jack went forward, while Gwen went to the right and Ianto to the left.

Archangel Eva Tovar opened her internal Anti-Proton canon ports stored within her hands. She then powered them up as she began running various hunting programs. Using infra-red sight, she could see where the Dalek had landed, but its' trail was erratic at best. It was also leaking a great deal of fluid. Smiling, she realized it was dying. She had tracked it to a bit of broken wall that had fallen down with it.

Using a transponder signal she knew it would acknowledge, she began speaking directly to it. The others were also queued in.

_Dalek, the Kai of this world will hold you in far lower regard than I. Face me, one of your oldest enemies. An Archangel of Nexain; the people that taught the TimeLords how to travel through time and space. I followed you here – hung on to you as a matter of fact. And yet, you brought me to this Earth, to this place. Why? _

'BECAUSE ON THIS WORLD, THEY HATE CYBORGS MORE THAN DALEKS.'

_Then if it is my fate to die at their hands, then so be it_.

'YOU WOULD ALLOW THEM TO EXTERMINATE YOU?'

_I am not afraid of what lies beyond. Are you?_

'NO,' it exclaimed as it broke cover and began firing at her.

She batted each energy pulse back at it, the final pulse hitting it right in its' eyepiece. The Dalek screeched in abject pain, firing at will. Turning her hands to it, she began hitting it with multiple Anti-Proton bolts, lighting its invisible shields as they weakened.

'EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!'

_I am not so easy to destroy, Dalek. __**I **__am the one that fired on the Crucible. __** I**__ am the one that got everyone off THE REGENT when the TimeLords destroyed what was left of your kind. __**And I am**__ the one that will send you to them. Permanently._

'AT LEAST I WILL NOT BE ALONE,' the Dalek answered. 'BUT YOU ARE, ARCHANGEL. FOREVER ALONE.'

'Perhaps. At least I will have the memory of your death to keep me company,' she replied aloud, standing in front of it. She then ripped through its' weakened protective shield and dalekanium hide to its' power core. Grabbing hold, she ripped it out and, holding it high above her head, bellowed in pain and grief: 'For you, My King!' She then fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

How long she stayed there she did not know, but slowly she came back to her senses. Slowly wiping away the tears from her face with her free hand, she rose to her feet and looked back at the carcass. She knew she needed to dismantle what was left. Its' technology could not fall into the wrong hands, especially not on this backward world. She then needed to find the TimeLord's former companion, the one that spoke to her. This Captain Jack Harkness.

As she reached her hand into the carcass, she heard a gun cock behind her. She froze.

'Do not move,' a male voice said coolly.

'Oove ron dov, na Nen,' (As you say, my Lord).

'Turn around,' the man said. 'And keep your hands high.'

She did as he said, smiling softly as she took in his attire. He was in a smart dark grey pinstriped suit with black waistcoat, claret red silk shirt and red/gray striped tie. The man still kept his gun on her, then tapped his earpiece. 'Sir, I've found the Archangel. I would appreciate you and Gwen arriving at my location as soon as you can.' He then tapped his earpiece again, severing communication. 'My name is Ianto Jones. I am an officer of Torchwood Cardiff.'

She continued to smile as she put down the power cell slowly. 'May I continue?' she asked. Ianto nodded, taking in her appearance. She was dressed in a black tight-fitting one piece jumpsuit. She also wore thick black boots and black gloves. She then walked away from the Dalek and towards him. 'Forgive me, My Lord Ianto Jones. I am Archangel Eva Tovar – and I wish for you and your Captain Jack Harkness…and what is the name of her Ladyship?'

'Gwen Coop, no, Williams,' Ianto told her.

'Lady Gwen Williams,' she continued. 'I wish for you all to teach me of this world. I am now your servant,' she finished falling to one knee and holding her hands out to him.

Ianto slowly approached, then taking her hands in his, pulled her from the ground. When she stood up, Ianto had his first glimpse of her face; her blood red hair and her beautiful hazel green eyes. He gasped, releasing the breath he didn't realize he was holding, and then sighed.

'Welcome to planet Earth, Archangel Eva Tovar,' he whispered softly.

Author's End Note: Oooh! Ianto and Eva sitting on a Dead Dalek…okay, doesn't quite rhyme, but I hope y'all get the jist here. Anywho, if you like, review, gosh darn it! The Hungry Muse MUST be fed!!


	3. Chapter 3: Lost Angel

Torchwood: Archangel

Chapter Three: Lost Angel

As Ianto Jones watched, Eva was using her Anti-Proton lasers to cut the Dalek's outer frame off, then down to portable pieces. She stopped once she reached the internal frame that held the upper part containing the organism. It was then that Captain Harkness and Gwen Williams arrives, weapons drawn. Immediately she shut down her lasers and respectfully dropped to one knee.

'My Lord Captain, My Lady,' she said without looking them in the eyes.

'Rise Noble Archangel,' Jack said, holding his hand out to her. She rose and took his hand, a flash appearing and disappearing as their hands touched. Jack simply nodded, then motioned to Gwen.

'What did she just do? What was that flash?' Gwen asked slightly frightened, even as she gave her hand to the Archangel.

'DNA sample,' Ianto answered. 'She already did mine. Helps her keep track of us in the event we can't be located by any other means.'

A small flash later and the Archangel stood before Harkness again, right palm raised to him and head bowed down.

'Ground rules,' Harkness said firmly, taking her hand in his. 'I am not a Lord, neither is Ianto and Gwen is not a Lady. You may call me Sir or Captain, but I prefer Jack. Sometimes Harkness works in a pinch, especially if you want to get my attention. You can call Ianto by his name or by Sir and Gwen; you can call her Gwen or Ma'am. I will call you Eva, if I may. Archangel I will use as a formality. Do you understand?'

Eva stood silent for a moment, processing the new information. 'I understand, Captain Harkness,' she answered, her head still down. Sighing, Jack then put his hand under her chin and brought her eyes up to his.

'You are not a servant here, Eva. You a new and valued colleague. You are in no way considered less than any of us, got it? In future, when we talk to you or when you talk to us, you look us dead in the eyes. Understand?'

Again Eva stood stock still for a few seconds, processing the information. She then looked up into Jack's sky blue eyes. 'Understood, my Captain,' she answered.

Jack smiled, taking in her light brown-green eyes, blood red hair and tight fitting suit. He realized her body was beautiful, then he remembered she was cyborg. He wondered where the woman ended and the machine began. Ultimately, he decided she was perfect in his eyes. And in Ianto's as well, from the way he saw him staring at her. But he needed to speak with his archivist; he didn't want old memories of the Cyberwoman resurfacing. He had been doing so well since that time. Even after the losses of Tosh and Owen.

_Best not to think of that_, he reminded himself.

She continued to look into Jack's eyes, making the exuberant captain feel rather self-conscious. He felt his cheeks coloring as he cleared his throat.

'Status report, Archangel.'

'Captain Harkness,' she answered. 'The Dalek has been neutralized. The Dalekanium may prove useful in other applications, so I have begun to cut the frame down for easier means of transport. From your Hub Computer Mainframe, I have determined your mode of conveyance will be able to support the weight of the Dalekanium and all of us once my work is complete. The organism within the frame is deceased. Permission to dispose of it with honor, my Captain?'

Jack nodded. 'Permission granted. ETA to completion?"

Eva stood silent, then looked up to Jack again. 'Five minutes, my Captain. Forgive my tardiness, but I am having difficulty correlating my own data to this new information.'

'No need, Eva. Complete your work and we'll see you at the SUV.'

'Understood, my Captain,' she said saluting him. She then returned to cutting up the Dalek's frame.

Jack then turned to Ianto and Gwen. 'Ianto, stay with. Gwen and I will break down the BIG GUNS and stow the night vision goggles. We'll make sure there's enough space in the boot for the Dalek,' he said. Ianto handed his equipment over, then looked like he was going to say something; then stopped. Jack faced him again.

'What's on your mind Jones, Ianto Jones?'

Ianto smiled at that. It always served to remind him how far he and Jack had come. 'Are…are we keeping her?'

Jack looked back at the cyborg as she finished the last of the cutting. She then changed the setting of her lasers to a finer beam and sliced open the dome part of the Dalek, revealing the organism within.

Jack looked back at Ianto, pride burning in his eyes. 'Hell, yes.'

'Is she like…a Cyberman?' Ianto asked; his voice suddenly tight.

Jack walked up to Ianto and clapped a loving hand on his shoulder. 'Not even close.' He then turned back to the cyborg. He motioned to Ianto. 'Look.'

She removed the organism and tenderly laid it on the ground. After changing the setting on her Anti-Proton cannon again, she knelt on one knee in front of it.

'You fought well…and had you not been an enemy, I would have been proud to call you ally. You were the last of your kind as I am the last of mine. May you find your Paradise.' Closing her eyes and bowing her head, she remained silent for a few seconds before rising to her feet. She then opened her Anti-Proton cannon port and fired. The organism was instantly incinerated.

'Would a Cyberman do that?' Jack asked Ianto. Ianto shook his head, then smiled softly at Eva. She then poured a can of a thick, dark liquid that looked and smelled like oil on top of the ashes and set it alight with a light burst of her cannon.

'Where did you get that?' Jack asked, surprised.

'I discovered it when Ianto Jones allowed me to do a cursory search of the area. Apparently, he surmised, someone changed the oil in their vehicle here and left the detritus in this receptacle. I required a secondary accelerant to destroy evidence of alien weaponry and technology,' she explained.

Jack nodded, thoroughly impressed. 'Good thinking,' he said. She then began sorting the cut dalekanium into two piles and hefted both piles together. She then turned to face Jack.

'I believe we are ready to leave, my Captain.'

The ride back to the Hub had been a relatively quiet affair. Eva spent the entire time in the back seat next to Ianto looking out the window. She remained in contact with Hub Mainframe and the SUV's onboard system. If they passed something that the Hub Mainframe and the SUV could not identify, she would ask Ianto if he knew what it was. His explanation would then be catalogued and her observations would continue.

When they made it back to the Hub, Jack asked her to go the Autopsy Bay and he began a cursory medical examination of her. Gwen and Ianto watched from above, totally fascinated. The exam revealed that she was humanoid on the outside, but her skeletal structure was a mix of bone and metal that the Mainframe was having difficultly identifying. She told the Mainframe it was poly-bond carbonite. Her organs were made of flesh – and apparently she hadn't eaten or drunk anything for a while. Proper time could not be determined because she had been in the Rift.

Twenty minutes later, the exam was complete and Jack asked Eva to wait for him in the Autopsy Bay. She complied and Jack went into his office, closing the door after Gwen followed him in. Ianto went into a small kitchen area and Eva sat herself on the metal gurney. After a few minutes she had settled herself on it cross-legged with her eyes closed while she continued her contact with the Torchwood 3 Hub Computer Mainframe. She heard steps and opened her eyes to find Ianto standing in front of her with a silver tray in his hands. On the tray were two ceramic cups filled with a liquid the Mainframe identified as 'coffee' and 'sandwiches' the Mainframe identified as sustenance. Ianto smiled softly as he offered one of the cups to her, then rested the tray on the metal bed Eva was sitting on.

'I wasn't sure if you'd ever had this beverage before. And I figured it had been a while since you've eaten…,' he trailed off. Nodding up to the above area, he continued. 'I think Jack is on the phone trying to figure out what to do with you. But I wanted to ask you a question,' he said, passing a wedge of sandwich to Eva and handing her a ceramic cup. She looked up to his face, looking into his eyes as Captain Harkness had instructed.

'You have but to ask,' she replied, looking down at the sandwich, then taking a bite.

'I think Jack is trying to sort out where you are to stay while you are here. Would you…would you like to stay with me? I have a two bedroom flat – you'd be totally on your own; no one encroaching on your space-.'

'I would be honored, Ianto Jones,' she said, smiling softly. Ianto returned the smile, blushing slightly.

It was that point that the door to Jack's office opened and both Jack and Gwen came out. Jack looked at the pair of them and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Picnic and I wasn't invited?'

'Didn't think you'd be done in time,' Ianto answered without so much as batting an eyelash. Gwen smiled broadly.

'Well, Eva Tovar,' Jack continued, looking now to the cyborg. 'I just got off the phone with UNIT. Their Chief Medical Officer, a personal friend of mine, Dr.-.'

'Martha Jones, former companion of the TimeLord designated The Doctor,' Eva continued, cutting Jack off.

'You know of the Doctor,' Jack asked.

'He is the last of his kind, just as I am the last of mine. My masters were Gifted with seeing the future. They saw what was to come to pass concerning me. They made messages detailing their visions. They wanted to make sure I was informed.' She then took in the looks of all the people around her. 'Have I done something wrong, my Captain? Have I revealed information that would have been better kept secret?'

Immediately Jack shook his head. 'No, Eva. You…just surprised me is all. I just want to make sure you are okay. Doctor Martha Jones will be here tomorrow to give a complete physical. Until then you are under quarantine-.'

'Actually Jack,' Ianto began, cutting him off. 'I offered Eva my spare bedroom. She accepted…at least until we can find her suitable lodging of her own. I was hoping I could take her home this evening. I'll bring her in with me first thing in the morning, unless you think it more prudent for her to stay here.'

Jack looked at Ianto, a little taken aback. 'Are you sure you want to do this?'

'Yes,' Ianto said without hesitation, looking to Eva. She returned his steadfast gaze.

'Well..uh, I guess I'll see everyone here tomorrow,' Jack finished. He had hoped to stay at Ianto's this evening as well. But with Eva there, he wasn't sure Ianto would be up to anything.

_ASK HIM_, Eva's voice said into his mind. Jack jumped. It had been centuries since he had used telepathy to this extent.

_THE PDT WITHIN YOUR BRAIN WAS DORMANT, BUT QUITE FUNCTIONAL_, she continued softly_. DO NOT HESITATE, MY CAPTAIN. LIFE AND ITS GIFTS ARE FAR TOO SHORT_.

_THANK YOU_, he whispered. Eva simply nodded. Jack then turned to Ianto. 'Is there room for one more at your place?'

Ianto smiled broadly at that. 'Always.'

TWTWTWTWTW

Later that evening, Eva stood looking out the window of Ianto Jones' spare bedroom. He lived in a quiet neighborhood overlooking the sea. She was dressed in one of Captain Harkness' undershirts, since she had no other attire. The Captain had mentioned that the next day they would need to take her shopping for clothes. Ianto smiled, saying he knew her exact measurements and could facilitate that immediately. Now, Eva simply watched the alien sea, entranced by the _foreignness_ of it all. Entranced…and terrified.

Everything she knew, everyone she knew was dead, gone and turned to legend, they were so beyond dust. She mourned softly; she had no desire to let her new masters know how weak she was. For even though Captain Harkness forbade her from calling them 'Lord' or 'Lady', she still knew they were her superiors. She looked to the bed and knew she should sleep, but the weight of pain within her soul made such luxuries presently impossible.

Suddenly she heard movement behind her – and from the motion and weight distribution on the floor, she identified Captain Harkness was standing behind her. She turned and acknowledged him with a nod. He strode into the room silently, his pyjama bottoms slung low on his waist and his top unbuttoned, and stood behind her. Her internal systems registered the heat coming off of his body as he put his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

_YOU SHOULD BE SLEEPING, EVA TOVAR_, he said softly into her mind.

_I KNOW, MY CAPTAIN_, she answered. _I…WILL SOON_.

Jack turned her around to face him. _SPEAK TO ME TOVAR. I CAN'T HELP IF I DON'T KNOW_.

She looked up into his luminous blue eyes, her own glistening with unshed tears. _I AM LOST. MY KINGS ARE LONG GONE. MY PEOPLE HAVE PASSED INTO LEGEND AND MYTH. MY FELLOW ARCHANGELS…I AM AN OBSOLITE PIECE OF WEAPONRY THAT SHOULD NO LONGER EXIST. WHAT DO I …WHERE DO I FIT IN?_

Jack smiled softly and enveloped Eva in a hug, holding her close to himself.

I_T'S NOT EASY, TOVAR. TRUST ME ON THAT ONE. BUT YOU WILL, WITH TIME…._ He then bent down and tenderly kissed her cheek. _NOW, TO BED, PERCHANCE TO SLEEP AND ALL THAT JAZZ._

Eva smiled back softly, nodding against Jack's chest. Jack then stepped back from her and going to the bed, pulled the sheets for her. She nodded again and slipped in between the cover, laying her head on the pillow. _MY LORD PRINCE TOVAR WOULD DO THIS FOR ME WHEN I WAS NEWLY CREATED. I WAS THE ONLY FEMALE OF ALL THE ARCHANGELS; AND THEREFORE SMALLER THAN THE REST. IS THIS A CUSTOM THAT SUPERIORS OF THIS WORLD DO FOR THEIR COLLEAGUES?_

Jack chuckled. _NO, WHY DO YOU ASK?_

_I HEARD YOU DO THE SAME FOR IANTO JONES_, she responded quickly.

Jack laughed a little louder. _I'M SURE YOU HEARD AL LOT MORE THAN THAT. TIME FOR BED, LITTLE ARCHANGEL. IN THE MORNING, I'LL TRY TO FILL YOU IN ON RELATIONSHIPS ON THIS PLANET. AND HOW THAT CORRELATES WITH PUTTING EMPLOYEES TO BED_.

_Thank you_, she said softly as her eyes closed.

Jack waited until he heard her even breathing signaling sleep, then went back to Ianto's bedroom. Ianto lay under the covers nude and fully in the embrace of Morpheus. Jack smiled, amazed at how innocent and young his lover could appear at times. He removed his pyjamas and slipped into the bed, skin against skin with Ianto. Cuddling his lover in his arms, he realized the Archangel was right.

At the heart of it, life was too short. So just grab on – and hang tight.


	4. Chapter 4: Frozen Angel

_AN: Sorry guys, keep forgetting this, so here we go. TW – not mine, don't own any of it and ain't making any green from it. Eva, however, MINE, MINE, MINE!!!! Also, PDT=Personal Data Transmitter. Got that one from Aliens. So…little summary: Eva reveals a few things about herself, but is having difficulty adjusting. Jack, Ianto and the others help._

Torchwood: Archangel

Chapter Four: Frozen Angel

He awoke to feeling the arms of his lover wrapped around him. Ianto sighed, leaning into the embrace; enjoying the warmth that came off a naked Jack Harkness. He smiled softly kissing Jack's arm, then remembered Eva.

Poor thing; so advanced in some things and so like a child in others. He had to usher her into the spare bedroom with one of Jack's tee shirts the night before as she almost began undressing before them in the lounge to prepare for bed. Jack simply sat back on the settee, a more than lecherous grin spreading on his face before Ianto put a stop to it. He could almost read Jack's mind: _two for the price of one_.

After deftly disentangling himself from Jack without waking him, he walked into his en-suite bathroom and began his morning routine, remembering with a smile what happened after they went to bed. Their lovemaking wasn't their usual loud and raucous affair due to their guest's presence. But Jack found a way of increasing the sensuality of the act: his slow and precise movements, their quietly uttered groans and swallowed moans. Ianto's participation had driven Jack spare because he had taken the initiative a few times. Jack loved it when he didn't play submissive, when he took control. Ianto honestly loved the fact that _he_ could make the great Jack Harkness lose control.

Thirty minutes later, he was out of the shower and dressed impeccably in one of his favorite suits; he wanted to impress Eva so he decided his light grey suit with burgundy shirt, tie and accents was the way to go today. He walked out of his bathroom and kissed Jack awake, then ushered him into the bath while he went to check on Eva. He found her in the spare room as Jack had the night before, staring out the window looking towards the sea. Her bed was fully made, right down to hospital corners on the sheets. Her hair was still partially wet as it hung down to the middle of her back, its' dark red color lit up by the sunlight streaming into the room. She was dressed in the same jumpsuit as the day before; Ianto couldn't wait to purchase clothes for her. He figured he could pop into the shops while Martha had her wrapped up in tests. He would do basic shopping: a few tee-shirts, a pair or two of denim pants, trainers. He would take her with him for the lingerie and more in-depth shopping later that day.

'Good morning, Ianto Jones,' she said softly, her brown-green eyes boring into his.

Ianto put a hand on her shoulder. 'Good morning, Eva Tovar. I'm about to make breakfast. Would you join me in the kitchen? Jack should be out of the bathroom soon enough. Did you have any problems in the bathroom this morning?'

She smiled as she continued to maintain eye contact. 'I will join you in the kitchen and no, I had no problems in the bathroom this morning. Thank you for your concern. After Doctor Jones' examination of me, are you really going to take me to the shops?' The sound of her voice, the tone of suppressed surprise and excitement; the dancing of her eyes made Ianto smile broadly.

'Yes. Now, how does toast and a bit of scramble sound?'

Eva stood silent for a moment, her face blank as she processed the information. She looked up at him again and smiled shyly. 'Forgive me, Ianto Jones. It is all new information and I have difficulty correlating what I know with what is now. Scramble and toast sounds wonderful. How may I help you with breakfast?'

'By sitting in the kitchen and applauding my efforts at domesticity,' he answered, holding his arm out to Eva. Her smile broadened as she took it and let him lead her out of the room.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Jack sauntered into the kitchen fifteen minutes later and stopped at the doorway. Eva was seated at the kitchen table watching Ianto intently, entranced by everything he did. 'Good morning, my Captain,' she said, turning to look up into his eyes. Jack smiled, her attention to Ianto was something like his on Ianto the night before. She then rose from her chair.

'Shall I set the table?' she asked. Ianto simply nodded, not looking up from his task.

'I showed you where everything is; Jack can help you,' he offered as he put the scramble on a plate and pulled the last pieces of toast from the toaster onto another plate piled with them. Jack and Eva set the table then Eva sat down as Jack went to help Ianto with the food, coffee and orange juice. They all finally sat down to eat, and Eva surprised the two men by bowing her head, crossing herself and uttering 'Amen'. She then put her napkin on her lap, picked up her fork and knife and tucked in. Jack and Ianto simply looked at each other, then followed suit. Thirty minutes later, the three were in the SUV and on their way to the Hub.

Once there, Ianto went to his precious coffee machine, showing Eva how to work it after giving her strict instructions not to touch it without his supervision. Eva nodded solemnly and at the look on her face, Ianto apologized and finished making the coffee in silence.

'There is no need to explain yourself to me, Ianto Jones,' she said softly. 'I would not feel comfortable leaving you in possession of my Anti-Proton weaponry, even after I had explained their operation to you at length.'

Once Gwen came in and was given her first cup of coffee for the day (light cream and two sugars), Ianto then took Eva up to visit Myfanwy the pteradon. At first Ianto thought she would not like the cyborg, but was thoroughly surprised when she bowed her head low and began clicking her beak while an almost purring sound reverberated from her chest.

'Her Majesty the Queen once said it was one of my many Gifts. Going through your peoples' fictional stories, I believe you would call me a 'Pied Piper'. Animals of any kind are not threatened by me. I hear their song…and can answer in kind,' she said in explanation.

When they went to give Janet her breakfast, the same thing happened. But instead of the frightened moaning and bowing they would do with Owen, it was almost a kindred preening and purring she and the other Weevils were doing. Eva lowered her hand slowly and the Weevils lowered themselves to the floor. 'Be well,' she said softly, then walked out of the holding area. For the rest of the day – and for days to follow after, it was recorded that the Weevils were on their best behavior.

Ianto took her back to the Main Area where Jack was talking quietly with Gwen. Jack looked up to Ianto. 'Did you make extra coffee? Martha may not be coming alone.'

'Are we expecting company then?' Ianto asked, smirking slightly.

'She may be bringing Mickey Mouse as backup,' he answered.

'How will a rodent help Dr. Jones with her examination of me?' Eva asked, her face a mask of total confusion.

Gwen, Jack and Ianto stared at her for a second, then burst out laughing. Ianto was the first to recover. 'It is a colleague named Mickey Smith-,' Ianto began.

'Mickey Smith,' Eva repeated, cutting him off. 'Another companion of the Doctor. For a time romantically linked with another companion named Rose Tyler. He lived on a parallel world for three years their time, then returned following the Cybermen during the Battle of Canary Wharf. The Doctor sealed all parallel breaches, trapping the Daleks and Cybermen in the Void. Rose Tyler, her mother Jackie and Mickey were also sealed in the other dimension until the Daleks made a return and began breaking down the walls between all parallel worlds. He returned to stay in this universe; Rose Tyler remained with the human version of the Doctor in the other. He and Dr. Jones help out here at Torchwood 3 from time to time.' Jack, Gwen and Ianto simply stared at her again. 'Your Mainframe was very lonely – and quite chatty once you get it started,' she said in explanation. She then looked to Jack. 'It was Rose Tyler that made you the way you are. The Kai that can die but never stay dead. She used the power of the temporal-spacial vortex within the TARDIS to bring you back. She summoned the power of the Great One…just like my Creators did to me.'

Jack visibly started as the alarms to the cog door went off. The door rolled away to reveal Martha Jones carrying a duffel bag and Mickey Smith carrying her metal medical case. They entered, smiling and waving at the still stunned group. Jack looked back to Eva.

THIS IS NOT OVER, he said into her mind.

UNDERSTOOD MY CAPTAIN, she answered, then turned and went down the Autopsy Bay steps.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Later that day Eva found herself surrounded by bags, boxes and packages of clothing, shoes, lingerie and purses in one of the unused rooms of the Hub. Ianto had even taken her to a cosmetics boutique, setting her up with the latest colors and creams popular fashion had to offer. Doctor Martha Jones had found nothing other than what Jack had and had given her a clean bill of health. She knew, however, that Jack and the others would still have questions for her.

She was finally dressed like the others: underwear (she remembered with a slight frown the red color Ianto's face took when she appeared from the Lingerie shops' dressing room in only a bra and bikini cut bottoms the same color as his scarlet shirt), black shirt, cut almost like Jack's and black dress pants. Her shoes were a stylish sort of trainer, also in black. Ianto commented later that most of her clothing was black. She responded by saying it was a color she knew and understood. And then she pulled out an emerald green full length sweater coat and put in on. _And it goes very well with any other color,_ she told him. She remembered his soft smile in return.

She was regarding her reflection in a dusty cheval mirror when Jack happened upon her. He smiled as he stood silently in the doorway, not wanting to disturb whatever reverie she was in.

'Is it not considered rude to simply stare?' she asked, looking at him through the mirror.

Jack smiled broadly as he sauntered up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. 'I was admiring you from afar. Would that be considered rude?'

She looked up to his reflection, locking eyes with him through the mirror. 'I know there is so much we need to discuss. Things will happen soon. You, Ianto and I will have grave decisions to make. But like the Doctor, and you, Time Agent, I can only reveal so much or risk damaging the fabric of space and time. My Lords told me so much…revealed so much more to me. I…I am still lost, my Lord Captain,' she whispered, her voice wavering slightly. 'There was so much darkness in my life before. If you command it of me, I will tell you everything.'

Jack slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close and leaned his head down to the side of hers. I WILL NEVER DEMAND ANYTHING OF YOU THAT YOU ARE NOT READY TO GIVE. YOU'RE THE CLOSEST REMINDER OF HOME THAT I'VE HAD IN CENTURIES. I WANT YOU AS A FIGHTER, AS A COLLEAGUE. BUT MOST OF ALL, I NEED YOU AS A FRIEND. He took her hand in his; she tightened the grip. I WILL NEVER LET YOU FALL, ARCHANGEL.

THANK YOU, she whispered into his mind as he pressed a tender kiss to the side of her face, leaning lovingly into her. She closed her eyes, pulling Jack closer, wanting to wrap herself in the warmth, the gentle kindness she felt in his embrace.

How long they remained like that, neither really knew. It was in this embrace that Ianto found them. Through the mirror Eva saw him, then waved him over. She wrapped her free hand around his waist and drew him closer to her other side. Ianto looped his arms around both of them, laying his head partially on Eva's and Jack's shoulders. Eva kissed the side of his head.

'I know we have to leave – join this new world and all. But for right now, this moment…can we three just…be?' she asked softly. Both men nodded – and the three remained in that embrace until Gwen began calling for them a few minutes, or a few hours later.

As they disentangled from each other, Ianto stepped out and returned with an antique wooden jewelry box. He then handed it to Eva. She looked to the box, then to Ianto and Jack. Both men smiled back.

'Open it,' Ianto coaxed softly. Opening the box, she found a silver crucifix on a sterling silver chain on the top drawer. A little angel popped up next the necklace and began dancing to 'Begin the Beguine'. The other drawers of the box held more pieces of jewelry: some silver, some gold and some of semi-precious stones. She looked up from the jewelry to the men again.

'Thank you,' she whispered, taking the crucifix out and motioning to Ianto. 'Please, put it on me.' Ianto took the necklace and carefully put it around Eva's neck. He then turned her to the mirror and standing behind her, admired the view.

'Beautiful,' he whispered, smiling at her in the mirror.

'Thank you,' she whispered again in turn, fingering the necklace.

Gwen entered the room then and sighed happily seeing Eva in something other the jumpsuit. 'Ah, you look so sharp now,' she said smiling. 'Come on, Mickey and Martha want to eat out. I was thinking the Italian restaurant in the city centre. I made reservations for all of us; Rhys is out of town on business, so I'm free for this evening. Sound good?'

Eva looked from Gwen to the men, then back to Gwen. 'I have never had Italian food, so I must defer to your judgment in this matter,' she said matter-of-factly. Jack chuckled and held out his arm to her. She took it as Ianto held out his to Gwen. Gwen took his and both men led the ladies out of the room.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Dinner was a raucous affair with the addition of Martha and Mickey. Mickey had been talking about the latest in alien integrated technology with UNIT computers and technology. Martha told them of a Hoix hunt that went dreadfully wrong; three UNIT members killed when everything was said and done. When their orders arrived, the table went quiet as plates were passed around. Then, as everyone began digging in, Eva bowed her head, then crossed herself and whispered 'amen'. She then set her napkin on her lap, picked up her knife and fork and began examining her linguine and meatballs in Bolognese sauce more closely. The others kept giving her odd looks throughout the evening; especially when they saw the crucifix around her neck. She ignored the looks until she had finished the food on her plate. After getting a refill of her drink, she then looked to Jack expectantly.

HAVE I DONE SOMETHING WRONG? She asked him.

NO, he answered, then put his hand up slightly. THEY MUST ALL HEAR THIS.

UNDERSTOOD, she said, severing the connection. She then turned to the group. 'I asked the Captain if I have something to offend you all. I have seen the glances all evening.'

Ianto spoke up first. 'Your prayers. Who…who are you praying to?'

'The Great One,' she responded immediately. 'The creator of us all.'

A few nervous looks went around the table.

'Why?' Martha asked.

'Why not? As we are deserving of His Grace, he deserves our service – and praise.'

Jack snorted derisively. 'Every time I've died, I've seen nothing. There are things moving in the dark – but there is no Paradise, no Heaven. No nothing.'

'Define nothing,' Eva asked softly.

'The absence of something,' Mickey answered matter-of-factly.

'You feel something in that place, my Captain. So that negates your nothing theory. And what eyes do you use when you are in that place? How do you know it is dark?' she asked.

Jack simply looked into his glass of water frowning.

'It was dark for me,' Ianto answered softly.

'And when did you die?' Gwen asked roughly. She didn't like where this conversation was going and was desperate to squash it.

Ianto looked down as well. 'When Lisa attacked me. I…just wanted to die. To let go. It was dark, but peaceful. Then I felt lips on mine, a bright energy filling me and I awoke in Jack's arms.'

Eva looked to Jack. 'And why did you bring him back?'

'Because I couldn't lose him. He may have been misguided, and God Above, I was betrayed and angry with him. But his heart was in the right place,' he said taking Ianto's hand in his. 'I couldn't let you go.'

'So,' Eva continued, looking to everyone at the table again. 'You brought him back because you had FAITH in him.' She sat back in the booth, smiling softly. 'I have FAITH in HIM,' she said, pointing up. 'That blind hopeless, hopeful faith that exists at the end of everything; that lets me know that this will be the right path for me. I have lost all I ever cared for…and I can never go back. My faith…it is all I have left.'

Ianto took her hand and put Jack's and his other on top of hers. 'No,' he answered, smiling as well. 'You have more than you can imagine.' He looked around at the others at the table. 'You have all of us,' he offered.

Jack squeezed her hand with his. YOU DO, YOU KNOW, he said into her mind.

Gwen put a comforting arm on her shoulder. Martha and Mickey smiled, nodding. Eva closed her eyes, then opened them. Emerald green and bark brown swirling with unshed tears within their depths.

'You all are the reason I have my faith. I have a new kingdom, thanks to you. A new family to protect, a new purpose again.'

She sniffled suddenly and Jack pulled out a clean handkerchief that he handed to Ianto. Ianto, in turn, offered it to Eva. Smiling sadly, a single tear escaped her eye as she accepted the cloth.

'You see,' she said, chuckling softly as she blotted her face and eyes. 'He does answer prayers.'

_AN: Wow, really hard to write. I'm hoping the others go a little easier. Hey, to everyone that has reviewed, added me to their Fav Authors and Fav Stories, thanks so much. Major ego boost when RL is beating the crap out of you…_

_So, remember, please review. Muse Bunnies need to be fed – or else my kitties may disappear…._


	5. Chapter 5: Burning Angel

AN: Another verse, same as the first: Torchwood – don't own, ain't making no money from it. Summary: Eva tells more – and shows Jack, Ianto and the others a thing or two…

Torchwood: Archangel

Chapter Five: Burning Angel

She awoke to sorrow. The dream fell apart as she shook herself awake. It…felt like she was being sent a message. And the message sender was almost consumed by sorrow. Eva sat up in her bed and found tears on her face. She had been crying. She hoped fervently she hadn't disturbed Ianto.

It was getting to the point that she thought about getting her own flat because of her dreams, but both men and Gwen said it was best to keep things as they were. Ianto knew about her dreams – and asked her to stay because he knew it would hurt her more to try and deal with the aftermath of the dreams alone. They were afraid for her…especially Jack. She knew that the new Torchwood London had made inquiries concerning her. Both Jack and UNIT told them in no uncertain terms to get stuffed, she heard Gwen say to Ianto one morning.

WHATEVER DID I DO TO GET UNIT'S APPROVAL? She asked herself as she quietly walked back to the room she had used as her dressing room. She had since fixed it into a sort of meditation room with comfortable furniture and items she had found all over the Hub.

MICKEY AND MARTHA, Jack answered into her mind.

~~TW TW~~

Three days before their UNIT guests were to leave, a Rift Alert showed a large object passed through to the marshes area on the outskirts of the city. It was decided Gwen and Ianto would stay at the Hub and Martha and Mickey would go out with Eva and Jack. Eva had said no other help was required; she could deal with the situation alone. But Jack had other ideas.

When they reached the area, Eva was on full alert. 'They are not here by accident,' she said as she, Jack and Mickey happened upon a damaged spaceship. Martha remained with the SUV, maintaining contact with the team and the Hub.

'Report Archangel,' Jack said forcefully.

'The damage the ship has suffered is from battle, not a Rift Storm. They landed to effect repairs – and to collect…FOOD,' she said, grabbing Jack and Mickey by their shoulders and tossing them twenty feet behind her. She then turned to face the threat.

The two creatures were humanoid and heavily muscled. They turned to Eva; her eyes trailing up their forms cataloguing everything she saw about them: tall, angry and all sharp teeth and talons. They had swords that glowed a sickly orange and burned through anything like slicing through warm butter. The two rushed Eva, one slashing at her throat, the other moving to bite the hand that she raised towards them. She made a waving motion, as if she were batting away pesky flies, and the two were thrown back to their ship, colliding loudly into its hull. They howled with anger and readied for attack again, two others came out of the ship and joined their comrades. Mickey armed with a large laser double pulse rifle and Jack with his Wembley stood by Eva's sides as she raised both hands to her attackers and uttered one word: 'STOP.'

All four creatures froze, looking at her curiously. 'You can speak our language?' One asked.

'I can speak all languages,' she said softly. 'You must effect repairs immediately and leave this world. You are in violation of Galactic Law concerning the landing and/or disembarking of spaceships with technology beyond that of a Level 5 planet.'

'We require specialized parts that we can not acquire or repair here,' the One replied. 'I am Called Cathen. We are of the planet La-Ren, in the Parvus Cluster. We fell under attack – raiders against raiders.'

Eva bowed respectfully. 'You honor me with the truth, Cathen of La-Ren. I am Called Archangel Eva Tovar of Torchwood. This is my Lord, Captain Jack Harkness,' she said, motioning to Jack. He simply lowered his weapon and nodded. Cathen and his comrades lowered their weapons and bowed low to Jack, then to Eva. 'Perhaps I can repair what is damaged enough to help you make the jump to your system. There you can send a distress signal to your planet and get help,' she offered.

'You honor us, Great One's Archangel. The stories of your exploits are known to us,' Cathen said meekly. 'We…we also require food, if that is possible. We would not take the Kai of this world, but perhaps their beasts. Chicken and beef…we like them very much.'

'Are you hungry now, Cathen?' she asked. He and his men nodded. 'Do you require liquids as well?' Again they nodded. 'I will do what I can. Rest, brave warriors. Be well. You'll be heading home soon enough.'

Four hours later the ship was patched up enough to make the jump back to their home world. Eva made sure they had enough food and water to last them until help arrived for them. She also gave them a universal signal to call in the event they needed to make planet fall on Earth again.

Cathen and his men again thanked them, boarded their ship and were off forty five minutes before sunrise. Gwen and Ianto were very happy to see everyone back, safe and sound. Martha and Mickey were animatedly describing the whole event and extolling the virtues of Eva and how she got the aliens to do what she wanted. Jack simply hung back, watching Eva climb up to Myfanwy's lair as he added bits to the story when Martha or Mickey needed a little help.

As everyone was packing it in after the long night and longer morning, Ianto found Eva sitting on the roof of the Millennium Center, Jack's favourite perch to watch over the city. She had worn gray trousers today with a burgundy silk jumper and black wool sweater coat. She was an incongruous spot of color on the copper roofscape. Ianto walked over and sat next to her, offering her his hand. She took it without hesitation. 'I am well,' she said after a time. 'I am…I don't really know what I feel. I am happy they got to go home…I am sad that I could not.'

'You don't have to explain yourself to me, Eva,' he answered softly, squeezing her hand. 'I…have been through enough in my life that I understand.' He then turned to her. 'Archangel Eva Tovar of Torchwood? Jack was very proud, I hope you know. He said they could understand the aliens as well. He said you used the vortex energy to do that. Are you doing that now?'

She looked deeply into Ianto's eyes. 'No. The first time we met, yes. But by the time we made it into the SUV I had already mastered your language – and about 45 others, by way of the Mainframe. Where is the Captain? And everyone else for that matter.'

'He's sent everyone home and kipped himself into his bunker. Want to grab some breakfast takeaway on the way home?' Smiling, she nodded. Ianto stood and offered his hand to Eva. Eva smiled and rose without Ianto's help.

'Can I show you something, Ianto? Memories of what I can do are still coming to me. Last night and this morning awoke so many things within me. I feel like…I am a sunburst. Like I am…being reborn. I need to show you this. But just you…only you, Ianto Jones.'

Ianto smiled, nodding his head. 'Anything, Eva. I trust you.'

She gave him her hand. He took it immediately. 'Hold on, do not be afraid,' she began. 'And do not let go!' She then started to run across the copper roof…to the edge! Ianto was at first afraid and began to slow down until he realized – _Angel! Angels FLY!_ He held onto her hand and increased his speed as they both leapt off the edge and she wrapped Ianto in her embrace, the both of them laughing as they floated down. She lighted them gracefully onto the pavement below. It was almost lunchtime in early spring and people were milling all about the Plass. Yet no one even batted an eyelid in their direction. Eva let go of Ianto and he smoothed his suit jacket down and adjusted his tie.

'Well, that's one way of getting down,' he said dryly, then gave Eva an ear-to-ear grin. 'No one noticed,' he said looking at the people still just walking around them. 'You have the ability to project perception filters?'

Eva nodded, smiling. Ianto suddenly laughed out loud. Eva's smile grew wider as she realized she liked the sound of his laugh. 'You are a kind and wonderful soul, Ianto Jones. I am grateful the Maker saw fit to leave me in the care of such lieges,' she said softly. Ianto, blushing a bright red, offered her his arm which she took without hesitation.

'Let's go get breakfast…and if you're up to a little window shopping, we'll walk home.' Once they arrived at the shops district, they decided to eat at the sidewalk restaurant rather then rush home. As they were leaving, Ianto reached into his jacket and handed Eva two credit cards.

'One is your own Torchwood account. The other is set to a checking account,' he said in explanation. 'Your pay goes directly to that one, which to date is three weeks worth. Just don't go mad shopping,' he finished, smiling broadly at the expression on her face.

She stared at the cards in her hand, and then suddenly looked to Ianto. 'I must pay you for my food and lodging,' she said, walking towards an ATM.

'No,' said Ianto, stopping her. 'There is no need. Torchwood is covering those expenses.'

'Then how am I to acquire an abode of my own?' she asked.

Ianto looked deeply into her eyes. 'You've only been here for three weeks, Eva. We have a few Torchwood flats we can set you up in. I…WE don't think you're quite ready to be on your own yet. Don't tell me you're already tired of me,' Ianto said, trying to mask his concern with humour. 'Come on. I think that dress you were mooning over last week may be on sale.'

That was almost four months ago…and she still was living in Ianto's flat. She had spoken to Gwen in private about the situation and asked her opinion. Gwen had told her of the deaths of Tosh and Owen, the moving of the Earth to the Medusa Cascade and how Jack kept Ianto and herself very close until recently.

'They just want to make sure you are safe, Eva. Both of them – Ianto worries for you a great deal. If it bothers you, you have to tell them, sweetheart. They are men…and sometimes the male species of Human can be pretty thick.'

'But I am like the Captain. I will never die, my Creators made me in the image of true Archangels,' Eva explained. 'Why would they worry for me?'

'Because… Well, honestly. They care for you very deeply – and with that emotion comes the want and need to protect,' Gwen answered.

Eva stood there looking at Gwen, and then covered her hand with her own. 'That is something I can understand.'

~~TWTWTW~~

Since her arrival, Jack hadn't died once. But she had; twice.

The first time was a Rift Spike in an abandoned building near Splott. The structure was scheduled for demolition. As Jack and Eva stood outside of it, Jack commented that if they waited long enough, the building would fall down all by itself. Gwen scanned the building from the SUV and concluded the item there were looking for was on the third floor of the building. Eva made a quick survey of the building and concluded the interior was too unstable but the exterior walls were suitable.

'Suitable for what?' Jack asked. Eva simply smiled a small smile that Jack realized she had picked up from Ianto. She then stepped back and launching herself into the air and landed on the wall just below the third floor window.

I WILL RETURN SHORTLY, MY CAPTAIN. PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE STRUCTURE, she said as she climbed through the window and recovered the object. She removed a bag from her belt and put the hand-held device into it. Attaching a small wire to it from her belt, she threw it out the window to Jack below, who caught it deftly. As Jack was removing the wire, there was a loud splintering sound inside the building, following by a resounding crash. The wire in Jack's hand whipped back up to the window and disappeared into the building. 'Eva!' he yelled out loud, then projected it through the PDT. His PDT received a chilling response.

UNIT NOT RESPONDING. UNIT OFF-LINE. REBOOT REQUIRED.

He ran pell-mell in through the doorway of the building and into the foyer. The stairs were caved-in; he turned to the right and saw a massive hole in the ceiling that went all the way to the roof. He saw the mess of broken roof tiles, plaster and copper plumbing on the floor and a bloodied hand sticking out of the detritus. He started digging through it all when Ianto appeared at his side with a shovel.

'Don't argue,' he said roughly to Jack. 'Let's just get her out,' he continued, handing Jack a pair of protective construction gloves.

Twenty minutes later they were able to remove enough of the debris to pull her out. Pieces of wood and piping were sticking out of her torso and chest. Her body made a sick sucking sound as the items slid out of her as they lifted her up and out; blood covering everything. The worst was her eyes. They were wide open and looking unseeing at the heavens. Ianto lifted her up to Jack, who then carried her out of the mess. Gwen was nervously pacing outside by the SUV when they met her. She held her hand to her mouth, swallowing a scream. One thought kept repeating in her mind: _Oh, God! Not like Tosh! Please not again…_

'We've got the tech. We have to get her back to the Hub,' Jack began when Eva's body suddenly began glowing. Putting her down immediately, Jack pushed Ianto and Gwen away. The golden cloud fizzled around Jack, then Ianto and finally Gwen before zipping back to Eva and settling over her prone form. Before their eyes all of her wounds began to heal. Ianto and Gwen looked to Jack for an explanation.

'Nano-genes. Haven't seen those since….I was in London during The Blitz,' he said softly, staring at the golden cloud doing its' work. 'It was when I first met The Doctor…and Rose. My ship had them. But why did they…cheeky Angel!' Jack suddenly exclaimed. 'She programmed them to check us first, make sure we were okay, then to return to her and make whatever repairs are necessary.'

The glow vanished and Eva suddenly gasped, her eyes flickering as life entered them. Her hands went up and Ianto deftly caught them, steadying her. Jack's PDT flared to life sending him a message.

REBOOT COMPLETE. UNIT IS ONLINE.

'Eva,' Ianto said softly, lifting her off the ground. 'Welcome back to the Land of the Living.' Jack, however, was not as forgiving.

'You KNEW this was going to happen,' he said accusingly, motioning towards the house.

'There was a 91.8 percent probability,' Eva answered.

'So, you allowed that structure to kill you in order to recover the alien tech!' he yelled.

'No, my Captain. **I** was the only one who could recover the item. I will do whatever I need to in order to ensure your survival and the survival of the rest of the team. You are my Lord,' she said pointing at Jack. 'They are my lieges and are true Kai,' she said, pointing to Gwen and Ianto. 'They are the most fragile and therefore most precious. **You all** are what I protect. **I **fall before any of you. That is the Code of The Archangels,' she said quietly, but with determination. Jack looked at her fiercely, then turned back towards the SUV.

Gwen quickly stepped up to look Eva over. The nano-genes even repaired her clothing and cleaned off all the blood and dirt. Gwen suddenly gave her a bear hug. 'We worry about you, Eva. Jack…well, he may be angry now, but he'll get over it. Come on, let's get back to the Hub, order some Chinese and try to figure out the tech,' she said as she and Ianto walked Eva back to the SUV. Eva took the backseat next to Ianto while Gwen sat in the front next to Jack. Jack was still brooding as he turned the car on and put it into gear.

'I know what the tech is,' Eva said quietly.

'Please don't leave us in suspense,' Ianto said sarcastically.

'It is an explosive device. I deactivated it when I took hold of it.' She then turned to Ianto. 'Does this mean we aren't going to have the Chinese takeaway tonight?'

The laughter of her team mates wafted from the open windows as Jack drove the SUV to the Hub.

~~TWTWTW~~

The second time Eva died it was because of a Hoix. The Hub Mainframe flagged several 999 calls and sent alerts to everyone's PDA's and to Jack and Eva's PDT's. Jack narrowed his eyes as Eva rounded a corner from the archives. She had been helping Ianto catalogue unidentified objects that had come through the rift.

'Forgive me, my Captain,' she said, knowing exactly why he was displeased. 'I gave it the access codes to both our PDT's in passing. I will correct that.'

'Just tell it to give me unlimited access to its' memory files, but alerts are to be sent to my PDA and cell phone only. Transmissions to my PDT are to be done as a last resort.'

'Understood,' she said closing her eyes and bowing her head. A few seconds later Jack received a confirmation of new orders.

When they arrived at the location the reports indicated, Eva got out of the SUV with Jack. He then told Ianto and Gwen to circle and to be careful – it was close. Eva had an ear comm on and a weapon – but she kept it holstered. Both she and Jack split up, Rift monitors in hand. Eva was using her own internal sensors as well.

'It is confirmed as a Hoix. Male – Hunter class. It will not surrender,' she said into her ear comm. 'Make weapons at the ready – signal is acquired.'

'Where is it?' Jack asked, running back to where he and Eva split up.

'Sensors indicate it is 6 meters…above me,' and she was cut off by a blood thirsty scream.

Jack saw as the Hoix suddenly jumped down from a light post, dragging the high-powered lines down with it. The SUV lit the area up with its' headlamps as Eva caught the lines in her hands and held them up into the Hoix as it descended upon her. The Hoix screamed in pain as the voltage hit it. It then slashed the lines out of Eva's hand and grabbing her head, twisted it to a side and bit into her soft neck. She grunted harshly as she twisted her neck into a further unnatural angle and snapped the Hoix's neck. As it fell to the ground in a heap, Eva fell on top of it.

Jack was there instantly, throwing the electrical lines away as Ianto popped out of the SUV with an emergency med kit, pulling out a gauze pad and holding it to Eva's neck. She tried to stop him; to tell him it was okay, but she couldn't speak, her throat was partially ripped out and her larynx was damaged. The blood kept flowing as her eyes dimmed. Jack took hold of her other hand.

WE ARE HERE, EVA. YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS. I AM HERE AND I WILL BE WAITING WHEN YOU GET BACK.

Ianto let go of her hand and went to help Gwen put the Hoix in a body bag then into the boot of the SUV. He returned to help Jack carry her back to the SUV. They both sat her in the back seat, Jack still holding her hand as Ianto held the other. He had been through this enough with Jack that he understood it – but it was still hard to see someone you cared about very deeply die so bloodied and torn.

Suddenly Eva's body went into a spasm and her eyes went dark. A familiar message was sent to Jack's PDT.

UNIT NOT RESPONDING. UNIT OFF-LINE. REBOOT REQUIRED.

The glow of nano-genes rose from Eva's body then went to Ianto first, then Jack, then Gwen as she stood next to Jack. The nano-genes then returned to Eva, she glowed brightly for a few seconds and it vanished. Eva sucked in a deep breath and her eyes glowed slightly as she held tightly onto the hands that held both of hers.

'I'm here,' Ianto said softly, tears suddenly filling his eyes.

'Forgive me, Ianto Jones,' she whispered, as she raised her own hand to caress his face. Jack's PDT received a now familiar message.

REBOOT COMPLETE. UNIT ONLINE.

Gwen then pushed him out of the way so she could give Eva a hug, the same she would give to Jack when he returned from death. When Gwen had released Eva Jack simply stared at her, then gathered her into his embrace. WHEN WE GET BACK, WE NEED TO TALK, he said, holding her tighter still. WELCOME BACK.

Eva hugged him back in returned. UNDERSTOOD, MY CAPTAIN, she whispered. IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK.

~~TWTWTW~~

Two hours later Gwen had gone home and Ianto was finishing up the last of the filing as Eva and Jack sat in opposite chairs facing each other. He moved his up until their knees were touching, then he reached out and brushed her face with his hand. He chuckled softly.

'Whatever in the world am I going to do with you, Tovar?' he asked softly.

'You have questions, my Captain. Ask of me what you will. If I can answer, I will,' she said softly.

'Two months ago, you and Ianto were on the roof the Millennium Centre. Then from the CCTV you were on the sidewalk within seconds. How?'

'I have the ability to project perception filters. After the encounter with the La-Ren, I discovered more of my Gifts.'

'So what did you do with Ianto? Teleport him to the sidewalk?'

At this Eva smiled. 'No,' she said softly. 'I showed him I can float.'

Jack simply stared at that remark. 'But…he's afraid of heights.'

'Not with me,' she said. 'You stand on the building tops throughout Cardiff as a conquering warrior; proud and lordly looking over all the lands that you survey. I do no such thing. I simply sit…I see…I try to understand. To become part of this new world, this different universe. In a way, I showed Ianto that as powerful as I am, I am more than willing to share what I can do with him. Sometimes, my Captain, you are a presence that engulfs as you attempt to protect. In the end…you simply suffocate. I know this is not your intention, it just simply is. Just as I am.' She stood and turned away from Jack to look down at Ianto cleaning the Hub in his methodical and precise manner.

'My masters created me as a template that other Archangels would be designed by. I was not the last…I was the first. Their intention was to create soldiers that would never die; that could be used as an ultimate final solution to whatever war they were fighting. I was sent into battle once…and let us just say I did my function well. So well in fact my Creators decided to have me decommissioned. It was then they realized I truly could not die. The Nexainians were like the Gallifreyans in that they could regenerate, but unlike the Gallifreyans, they could choose whether or not they changed their physical appearance. I never changed. I simply was - am a permanently fixed point in time and space and that horrified them. Except for the Queen. She saw something in me and took me into her heart. So my memories were altered and a new history was created. I was made the bodyguard of the Royal Family. When the Queen died, I was made Personal Bodyguard of the Prince. This was the only history I thought to be true until the final battle where King Keln Tovar removed all the failsafes within my mainframe and I knew the truth. I was a monster. I wiped out whole tribes at the inception of my creation. I was Charon - the Archangel of Death.' She sighed deeply, turning away from the windows looking back at Jack.

'All of my Gifts have awakened within me. But I know how far I can go – and I know not to go beyond them. I can not say I will not die again, like you. But for Ianto – and you, I promise I will keep it as a final option.' She then sat down in front of Jack, taking his hands in hers. 'How to say what happens next, my Captain,' she whispered. 'I have to ask Ianto something. Only Ianto. If he accepts, then we will tell you. But until then, my Lord Captain, please know that my burden can be shared with no one.'

Jack held onto her hands tighter. 'I have had my own secrets,' he said softly. 'They almost destroyed this city and killed two of my team. That secret was my brother Gray. If your secret is anything like that-.'

Eva's hand immediately went to Jack's mouth, covering his lips. 'Gwen and Ianto told me much – the Mainframe as well. You were buried in the earth and had to endure death and rebirth for over one thousand years, my Lord. You are made of far sterner stuff than I, my Lord. Hush, you are my Lord. Both to my heart and my programming. It is what I shall always see you as, it is a title you may not have been born into, but you are worthy of.' She slid her hand to his chin as he looked into her eyes. They were more green then brown as he studied their clear, churning depths. 'What I hold within me is nothing so devastating. If anything, it may be seen as wondrous. And it is a matter that will be discussed very soon. I promise, my Lord Captain.' She then leaned forward and kissed him on his lips.

Jack smiled softly. 'Okay, you win. For now.'

~~TWTWTW~~

She was walking back from the kitchen, glass of water in hand, when she registered movement in the lounge. She turned and saw Ianto sitting on the settee looking at her. 'Did I wake you, Ianto?'

He thought for a moment to deny it, then nodded. Honesty with Eva was always the best policy. 'Are you having nightmares?'

'Forgive me,' she said, sitting next to him. She took in his appearance. His eyes were smudged with dark circles; she could tell he was not sleeping well himself. 'Poor Ianto,' she said softly.

'What?' Ianto asked.

'You also are having difficulty sleeping. Is that not why you are sitting here in the dark?'

'Nice deflection,' he murmured. 'But I think I asked you first.'

'They are not nightmares. I…I am not certain what they are. They may be messages…and the sender is almost mad with grief,' she said softly. She then put her hand on Ianto's. 'Are you having nightmares, Ianto?'

'Yes,' he whispered. 'I was supposed to go to the power station, not Owen. I was supposed to be in the nuclear reactor station when it went critical. It was supposed to be me…and sometimes…sometimes I dream it is…-.' He crumbled then, Eva cradled him in her arms, holding him close. He pulled her close and cried into her shoulder until her shirt was wet. She simply soothed him; rubbing comforting circles into his back and cradling his head with her other hand.

'I am here, Ianto Jones,' she whispered softly. 'I was not here before when you needed help most. But I am here now – and I will never forsake you. Nor will the Captain.' At that, Ianto started to chuckle. 'Have I said something funny?'

Ianto pulled himself out of her embrace and wiped his eyes on his tee shirt. 'No,' he said softly, looking into her eyes. 'You reminded me of when I first started with Jack. I always called him Sir – even after he had asked me time and again to call him Jack. I…sometimes feel like I haven't done enough to deserve to live,' he said suddenly. Eva put her fingers to his lips.

'Never say such things, Ianto Jones. You more than most know how precious life is. If we feel unworthy, know that you are in His plan…and at the end of all things, you must trust in Him,' she whispered softly, smiling tenderly. Ianto looked into her eyes, those beautiful hazel eyes that hadn't changed in their brilliance since she arrived.

'My faith has taken a pretty bad battering over the years with Torchwood,' Ianto began. 'I'm not sure what I believe in anymore.'

Eva was about to answer when she suddenly gasped, standing upright immediately.

'Eva!' Ianto yelled. 'What is it?'

At that moment, she began to glow until she seemed to be lost inside the swirling light. Ianto ran to the kitchen, fetching his fire extinguisher. When he returned, the swirling light vanished but Eva's eyes glowed with the light, her slightly dark skin taking on the color of burning bronze.

'Eva?' Ianto called. 'Are you all right?'

His PDA suddenly went off, signaling a Rift Alert. Eva's PDT also reported the disturbance, the look on her face was a mixture of joy and absolute sorrow. 'Yes, Ianto Jones,' she said softly. 'The dreams that I've been having were not dreams. They were messages. This Rift Alert has stated that an object has been deposited at the Hub. It's a package for me. It's from home!'

AN: Well…hoped you like it. Please review – the Muse Bunnies are looking a tad thin and they eyeing my Itty-Bitty-Kitties….


	6. Chapter 6: Loved Angel

AN: And this one's for the Peanut Gallery: Torchwood – don't own it, ain't making green off it. Summary: A package from home arrives for Eva – and Eva asks Ianto THE question….

Torchwood: Archangel

Chapter Six: Loved Angel

As soon as Ianto had thrown on cargo pants and trainers, he grabbed his flat keys and rushed to Eva's room. The light coming off of her had died down, but her skin and eyes still glowed. She was still in her nightgown – a full length royal blue satin one with spaghetti straps. Ianto had picked it out for her; he remembered Jack had made a comment about him always going for jewel tones as they checked on her one night. Fear suddenly clenched at Ianto's heart. What if this was some kind of summons? What if she was leaving? He realized he didn't want her to go. He wasn't going to lose her. He didn't know how, but he wasn't going to let her.

The glow of energy suddenly flared to life; she simply stepped into her leather slippers and grabbing her long black wrap, threw it over her shoulders. 'Ianto,' she whispered, turning to him and holding out her hand. 'Come with me.' He felt himself drawn to her – he took her outstretched hand and the light enveloped them both, leaving a dark, empty room in its wake.

~~TWTWTW~~

The one thought running through Jack Harkness's mind was a question:

_Why does everything go to shit when I give everyone the night off?!_

He had just shut off the proximity alert alarm and had a hand-held PDA scanning the – object – that had suddenly appeared in the far corner of the Hub. It was cylinder shaped, peach colored and the size of the Doctor's Police Box. His blood froze for a second.

_Could it be another TARDIS? Could it be the Master's?!_

At that thought Jack dropped the scanner and ran headlong for the armory. Once there, he pulled out every automatic weapon he could think of and prayed the others would just arrive. The cog door alarms went off and as it opened Gwen stood with her weapon drawn, Rhys following close behind armed with a cricket bat. Since Tosh and Owen's deaths, Rhys had been around a lot more then Jack would have liked, but help was needed and given with no questions asked.

Jack appeared from the armory with two machine guns, two bandoliers of ammunition and a belt of hand grenades and exchanged Gwen's handgun for a machine gun. He then handed the handgun to Rhys and threw the cricket bat to the floor. Just as Gwen was going to ask what the hell was going on, a small yellow light appeared on the crosswalk halfway between where Jack, Gwen and Rhys stood and where the cylinder was situated on the other side of the Hub. The light grew brighter and bigger until all three had to cover their eyes.

When the light vanished, they opened their eyes to see Ianto and Eva standing on the crosswalk. Ianto's arms were wrapped around Eva; Eva's were wrapped around his waist, her head pillowed on his chest. Ianto pulled back slightly and looked deeply into her still burning eyes. 'You got us to the Hub, Eva,' he said softly. 'Thank you.' He then looked up and realized the others were staring. 'The object,' Ianto said, unwrapping his arms from Eva as she did the same. They both looked to the other side of the Hub and Ianto gasped. 'It's for Eva,' he continued, looking back at the others. 'She said it's from her home.'

'Can you confirm that?' Jack asked, a little too harshly. Ianto knew it was because of the way Jack had seen Eva and he together.

'Signal signatures have been confirmed,' Eva said softly, walking towards the cylinder. 'It bears the crests of the Old King, of my Prince and his new title – King Keln Tovar of Nexain.' She breathed in sharply and moved to get closer to the object when a hand took hold of her arm and held her back.

Ianto held her fast, his eyes boring into hers. 'If…if it is a summons…to go home or to fight a battle elsewhere…will you go? And if you do, will you return?'

Smiling, she put her hand on his cheek and caressed it tenderly. 'Always, my Lord,' she whispered. As she turned again, another hand took hold of her arm.

This time, it was Jack. He looked to Ianto and at the way he was dressed: pants wrinkled and hastily thrown on, a tee-shirt he only wore to bed and Eva in the night gown that Ianto picked out for her, her hair wild and disarrayed. If it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation, he'd swear the pair had been shagging before this. He wasn't sure how he felt about that…

Eva looked from the cylinder, to Jack's hand, to Ianto and back to Jack's face with a look of total shock on her own. 'How could you THINK of such a thing _NOW_?!' she asked, slightly enraged.

'What?!' Jack and Ianto asked together. Ianto then looked to himself, to Eva and narrowed his eyes on Jack as the shoe dropped.

'Only you,' he growled.

_I REALLY HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO SHUT DOWN THE PDT_, Jack thought.

_PERHAPS IF YOUR THOUGHTS WERE NOT SO…EARTHY. THE SNAKE IN EDEN COULD HAVE TAKEN NOTES, MY CAPTAIN,_ Eva thought back.

Gwen stepped up to Jack and the others. 'What the hell is going on? Why are you geared up like Rambo? And what the hell is that?' she said, pointing at the cylinder.

'It is for me,' Eva stated again. 'My King has sent me something. He has been trying to send me messages, but they were slightly out of phase. I received them only at night and could not understand them…but I could feel his sorrow; his grief. I…I had no idea I meant so much to him. It was part of my programming to feel for him; to care for the Family. But he…he _loved_ me.' She sighed deeply. 'Oh, my poor King.' She moved to go the cylinder again, but Jack held onto her a second time.

She turned to him – and in her eyes and on her face he saw and felt her pain of separation and loss. For although Eva would follow Harkness, Ianto and Gwen to the Gates of Hell and faithfully stand at their sides while they hammered on them declaring war on all within, _she belonged to the House of Tovar_. _They_ were her home.

_AS ARE YOU, YOU EXSAPERATING KAI_, she admonished. She then took his hand off her forearm and holding it in both her hands, kissed his knuckles tenderly before releasing it. 'YOU are my future, my Lord Captain Jack Harkness, my Lord Ianto Jones,' she said softly to them both. 'This,' she motioned towards the cylinder. 'It is my past. Once I am done with it, I am Ianto's, I am Gwen's, and I am yours. I am of Torchwood of Cardiff and I truly pity those who would dare stand against us.' She then looked from Jack, to Ianto, Gwen and Rhys, who now stood gathered next to Jack. 'This I swear, my Lords and Dearest Lady, until the end of time,' she said, putting her right fist to her left shoulder and holding her fist out to them all.

She then turned away from them all and began walking towards the cylinder. The energy within her flared to life once again, making the heavy wrap on her shoulders appear as grey gossamer silk. She raised her right hand towards the front of the cylinder where the seals were.

'WHAT IS YOUR DESIGNATION?' A booming male synthesized voice asked, startling everyone in the Hub, including Myfanwy, who screeched indignantly from her perch high above.

'I am Archangel Eva Tovar of the House of Tovar. I was Personal Bodyguard to Prince Keln Tovar and the Royal Family. My original designation was Charon: The Archangel of Death.' And suddenly, the energy within her winked out.

DESIGNATIONS RECOGNIZED. STAND BY FOR INCOMING MESSAGE, the voice continued. Lasers on top of the cylinder pointed down and coalesced into a 3D image of a man in his mid-50's, broad shouldered with shoulder length dark brown hair and crystal blue eyes. He wore armor and robes of ermine and royal purple and blue and sat on a dais of white sandstone. Beside him on a smaller dais sat a blonde woman of uncommon beauty and green eyes. She too wore robes of royal colors. At their sides stood four children ranging in age from six to sixteen; two boys, obviously twins and two girls. All bore semblances to the adults seated. Eva gasped and fell to her knees raising her hands above her head and bowing low to the ground.

'Well met, my dear Archangel,' the man said softly, looking down at her prone form. 'Rise, Last of the Archangel Detail, First and Only of your Kind.' Eva rose from the ground as the man then looked up to the others gathered. When he spotted Jack and Ianto, his features softened. 'Well met my Lord Captain Jack Harkness, my Lord Ianto Jones. You are the ones keeping my Dear One?' The men simply looked to Eva, then to the image and nodded. He then turned to Rhys and Gwen. 'My Lord and Lady Williams,' he said, bowing slightly in their direction. 'I am King Keln Tovar of the planet Nexain; this is my wife, Queen Isabella and our children, Princes Troy and Castor, Princesses Naiven…and Eva.'

Eva's head shot up at that, tears that she had not allowed to fall now flowing freely down her cheeks. 'My Lord King,' she whispered, her voice trembling. 'You would so honor me?'

'We both do, Archangel Tovar,' Queen Isabella answered. 'Were it not for you, my husband would not have survived the attack on his ship. All those that escaped the TimeLords' Master Solution would not have done so had they not followed your instructions and made planetfall on the far side of Nexain. Thousands survived – to go back to their families; to have children of their own. Your Prince never would have become King. My King never would have met me, we never would have married. My children would never have been born. This planet, we…I owe you so much. The Great Time War for you yourself may have been a few months ago, for your colleagues, many millennia ago, but for us it has been 2 decades. There is a celebration every year to commemorate the outcome and honor our dead…and missing. On this year we honored you by unveiling a statue of you before a great temple of learning built in your honor.'

Eva gave a strangled sob as she looked at her King and Queen. 'You would so to honor me, my Lord and Lady? But what I did was part of my programming; my Prince was now King. For Nexain to survive, he needed to be there. I would have laid my life down time and again to achieve that end.'

'And that is why we honor you, my dearest Eva. Even though we are sending this as a live transmission, when you receive it our civilization will have long since passed. But know that it lived well and prospered greatly all because of you,' the King continued. 'Within this vessel are items for you, dearest Eva. A bit of home, if you will. And it is a vessel, Eva. Not as advanced as others, but it yours, to do with as you see fit. There are other vessels within it as well. I believe you will be impressed with the selection. More importantly, your armor is stored within as well. I know that by now you must have died a few times in the presence of the Captain. He is like you, but not the one you have chosen, correct?'

Eva nodded, her cheeks suddenly reddening. 'As you have honored me, I will always honor you. I am Archangel Eva Tovar – I will keep your name. But I am now of Torchwood; of my Liege Captain Jack Harkness. I have chosen, but have yet to make the offer known…' her voice trailed off.

'No need to explain yourself to me, Eva,' Keln Tovar said, smiling sadly as he raised his right hand to her. 'You know your own heart and you will know when the time is right. This vessel is equipped to help when you are ready. Data pods contained within have all the information you will need.' He then looked up to Jack. 'My Lord Captain, my Lords and Lady; we give unto you our most precious of Gifts. I give unto you our Archangel, the only one of her kind. For like you, my Lord Captain, she can die but will always return until the Great One gives her leave to finally come Home. She has learned much from you and holds you all close and dear. Watch over her since we can not. Whatever dangers you face in the future, be not afraid. When she is needed, she will shine.' He looked back to Eva. 'Good Life, Little One,' he whispered, his right hand raised towards her again. Queen Isabella and the children did the same.

'Good Life to you all,' Eva answered, holding her right hand to them. 'My King, my Queen, my Princes and Princesses.' She then looked to Princess Eva. 'Good Life my namesake. My own Little Princess.' They all bowed their heads as the hologram began to flicker and then winked out.

'TRANSMISSION ENDS,' the booming male synthesized voice said. Eva stood staring at the empty area, her mainframe so full of information and emotion that she could not process it all and began to swoon. Ianto and Jack were at her sides in an instant, holding her up before she could fall.

'I am well,' she said automatically in a shaky voice.

'Bullshit,' Jack answered without venom. 'If I've told you once, I've told you thousand times Tovar. I'm not letting you fall.'

Eva looked up into his face, her eyes overflowing with tears as she took hold of his braces and pulled herself into his chest. He held her and Ianto rubbed her back comfortingly as she sobbed into Jack's shirt. Jack realized that this was the first time she had allowed herself to properly grieve for her losses since the night they found her. She never knew how much she was loved then…he hoped she knew that he, Ianto and Gwen loved her very much now. Gwen and Rhys were also rubbing her head and back in a show of support as she continued to grieve.

After a few minutes, Eva pulled back from Jack ready to offer an apology over her outburst. Instead Jack offered her a clean handkerchief and was rewarded with a teary-eyed smile. 'Thank you, my Captain,' she whispered, drying her face and eyes. She then turned to the others. 'All of you.' She then let out a shuddering breath and turned to the cylinder.

It was the color and texture of a column that supported the first Great House of Tovar. Eva knew it well; the Old King took great pride in showing her all of the advancements in construction when she was newly appointed as the Prince's Personal Guard. It broke a part of her programming when she saw the Daleks destroy the House. But she knew the Nexainians, or more importantly, the new King, would rebuild again. She crossed her right hand over her chest, then held it out to the crests on the cylinder. A red laser scanned her hand. When the scan completed, the laser color went from red to green and winked out as the front plate of the cylinder broke apart, opening like two pocket doors into its circular frame. A bright light shone from within, temporarily blinding the others. Eva, however, looked into the light – and suddenly ran inside. Jack and the others quickly followed – and stopped short once they passed the threshold.

'Oh my God,' Jack breathed. 'It's like the TARDIS!'

'Guess she doesn't have to worry about flat hunting now,' Gwen muttered.

The room inside was easily double the size of the Hub. Sunlight streamed in from skylights twenty feet above their heads while the corridors above were lined with side bookshelves filled with books. The area they stood in was a massive atrium made of the same peach textured marble-like substance as the cylinder outside. Depicted on sections inset on the walls were holographic scenes of everyday life on Nexain. Farming, commerce, celebrations, space travel, the arrival of Omega of Gallifrey and forms and holidays of worship. One relief made Eva stop; Jack stood next to her and took her hand as he read the plaque underneath. _The Castle of the Tovars_.

'I do not remember this,' she said softly, pointing at the hologram.

'I do,' Jack said. 'Field trip to the digs on Nexain when I was a new recruit to the Time Agency. It was the Castle of King Keln Tovar. He built it on the ruins of his father's.'

Eva turned from him, loosening her hand from his caress. She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears that threatened to fall anew. 'I remember this place. It was where I was educated. I absorbed information faster than any creature before – or after, I would assume. They brought books from all over the planet, then from the libraries of other planets – no worries, no Vashta Nerada here. I neutralized them before they became a threat. It was quite a shock to them when I didn't die. I simply downloaded all the information to my mainframe and burned the infected books. The Prince was laughing so hard I thought the King was going to harm him. They asked for digital copies only after that.' She looked around again, touching the tables and plush chairs dotting the area. 'This place was also destroyed during the Great War. My King must have had artisans reproduce it.'

'To give to you,' Jack finished as Ianto, Gwen and Rhys gathered closer. 'It was said his daughter, Queen Eva, took special interest in your history, since she was your namesake. She was a force to be reckoned with on the Intergalactic diplomatic scene.' He then looked at Eva softly. 'Is this like the vessels of the Time Lords? Can it travel in space and time?'

Eva tilted her head to a side for a moment, then righted herself. 'It feels like it could. Do you feel it? There is a - .'

'Hum,' Ianto said, finishing her sentence. 'Like…like electricity. But something more…something alive.'

'I wonder,' Eva said softly. She then looked up to the ceiling of the great room. 'You can come down now,' she said out loud. 'I have need of assistance.'

A circular pendant hanging from the ceiling opened and a golden sphere the size of a cricket ball descended towards them. It reminded Jack of the Toclafaine and before he knew it the machine gun strapped to his back was in his hands with the safety off and ready to fire.

'HARKNESS!' Eva yelled, her hand pushing the barrel down towards the ground. Ianto, Gwen and Rhys were also looking at him with bewildered expressions on their faces. 'What were you – the Toclafaine?!' Eva exclaimed. 'But they were a Gallifreyan fairy tale…did they ever exist?!'

Jack put the safety back on and let the weapon drop to side, looking at her rather sheepishly. 'Sorry about that; bad memories,' he mumbled.

_YOU AND I WILL HAVE TO TALK_, she said softly into his mind. She then turned to the golden sphere that bobbed in the air in front of her and raised her right hand to it. 'Show me,' she said. A diode snapped out off its' side and it injected itself into her hand. Jack and the others watched as she glowed again, a slight blue color. They watched as the color flashed through the entire room, lighting fires in the fireplaces that sat in a few walls, starting up the screens and holo-imagers on the tables, showing all the facility had to offer. The light then went out of Eva and the probe removed itself from her hand and locked back into the sphere. 'Download and activation complete,' a computerized voice said from the sphere. 'Is anything else required?'

'You have recorded all present?'

'Affirmative.'

'Then nothing else is required for the moment. You may go now.' The sphere then flew back up into the pendant. Eva looked back to Jack. 'I needed to know the configuration of this vessel. It is a vessel, my Captain. I am sorry but it is configured to my cell structure. It will only fly for me.'

'What was that thing Jack almost shot?' Gwen asked.

'Information orbs,' Eva answered. 'Sort of like floating computers. They know everything about this ship, the mainframe here and more. You can use them outside in the Hub, if you wish.'

Gwen smiled, then turned to Jack, who shook his head. 'Not yet,' he said absently clutching his Wembley. 'Still having problems with flying metal balls.'

Eva looked at him a little closer, walking over to him. 'Show me, my Lord,' she whispered, giving him her hand. 'Please.'

It was the 'please' that undid him as he put his hand in Eva's. At the contact, his PDT synched up with hers and 'The Year That Never Was' played into her mind. The Toclafaine in all their corrupted, sad glory and the madness of the Master; his daily torture of Jack. She felt him hold her hand tightly, she reciprocated with equal fervor.

_LIKE IANTO AND HIS NIGHTMARES, I MAKE THE SAME PLEDGE TO YOU, MY CAPTAIN. I WASN'T THERE WHEN YOU NEEDED ME MOST, BUT I AM HERE NOW. AND WOE UNTO THEM THAT MAKE WAR AGAINST THE LORD OF AN ARCHANGEL,_ she whispered into his mind.

_HAVE YOU TOLD HIM EVERYTHING?_ She asked.

Jack knew who she was talking about. _NO_, he said evenly.

_YOU SHOULD. IT MAY HELP._

_OR IT MAY BURDEN HIM WITH MORE THAN HE NEEDS TO CARRY_, Jack said quickly.

Eva chuckled. _TRUE, BUT HE HAS FEARS OF HIS OWN THAT HE DOES NOT TELL YOU OF BECAUSE HE DOESN'T WANT TO BECOME A BURDEN TO YOU. PERHAPS IF YOU SHARE YOURS WITH HIM, HE MAY WANT TO SHARE HIS WITH YOU._

Jack looked down into her eyes, dark brown now with swirls of green dancing in them. 'When did you become so wise?' he asked softly out loud.

She smiled softly as she looked to the others. 'Honestly, I do not know,' she answered. She then looked to a main corridor off the great room. 'Let's explore. There are quite a few rooms in here,' Eva said, holding out her hands to Ianto and Jack. They took them without question. 'I must see the armory and this 'armor' King Tovar spoke of.'

'Why?' asked Ianto as Gwen and Rhys followed them down the corridor.

'Because I was told of it. I had armor before this – but this intrigues me.'

At the third door on the right, Eva stopped and taking hold of the knob, unlocked the door and pushed it open. She, Jack and Ianto gasped. Rhys and Gwen practically screamed. 'I remember this,' Eva whispered. 'But, oh…so much more has been added.'

Inside, the room was split in two sections. One side had swords of every form from short dirks to long jousting blades to Japanese style katanas on shelves and peg walls. The other had firearms similar to Jack's Wembley to Mickey's double laser pulse cannon and beyond. But it was the objects on the wall in the center between the two sides that took everyone's attention.

'I do not remember that,' Eva breathed as she walked towards it. The armor was a glistening black on the arms and legs that morphed into a deep blood red near the heart on the breastplate. The headpiece was almost like a motorcycle helmet with a black faceplate. Eva stroked the metal tenderly. 'By the Great One,' she whispered. 'Durilium. It is Durilium, the strongest metal in the universe. It is tempered by processing it in the center of a temporal vortex. Oh my King…what else have you done?' She then looked to Jack. 'This is an updated version of what I wore during my first mission. I have never seen the original since. It was said the Old King had it destroyed.' She then looked at the breastplate as an insignia emblazoned itself on its surface. 'Oh my,' she said pointing at the insignia. Jack smiled broadly at it as the others simply stared. Ianto began smiling as well. It was a series of octagonal shapes in the form of a capital 'T'.

'Torchwood,' Ianto breathed. 'No mistaking who you stand for with that on.'

Eva turned to Jack again. 'Do you approve, my Captain?' she asked.

Jack looked at her, pride burning in his eyes. 'Hell yes.'

She then held her right hand up to it and in a flash of white light, the armor was on her. The black color of it melding with the crimson red; and the Torchwood emblem on its' chest…she was a vision. In her hands she held a broadsword and the visor of the helmet was down. To Ianto, she was ready for battle. She appeared as Saint George, ready to fight the dragons of the world, the universe.

Eva raised the sword to her visor and lightly tapped the metal to her head. 'As I said before, I say again. I am the Archangel Eva Tovar – OF TORCHWOOD,' her voice rang clearly even through the helmet. She raised her left hand and the armor vanished, resting back in its place of honor on the wall. Next to it mounted on the wall was an opaque rectangular box. Within it another suit of armor could just be made out.

'What is that?' Gwen and Rhys suddenly asked together. They both turned to each other and laughed. Jack and Ianto both smiled in turn until they saw a cloud pass over Eva's features as she looked at the box.

'It… it is the armor of another,' she said sadly. 'One that may never be.' She then turned away and walked out of the room. The others followed her to the main corridor, where she led them to the other rooms within. A kitchen, a workout room and a closet room that had Jack laughing until there were tears in his eyes.

'Oh God,' he breathed. 'The Doctor would have a cow over this! His closet is only HALF the size of this!'

It was filled with ball gowns and demin, the finest of silks and cotton. Furs and cloaks and coats of all kinds. She even noticed a few gabardine patterns and smart skirt suits that would have made Ianto proud. There were shoes, boots and sandals to satisfy the cravings of any shoe fetishist. Eva then turned to Ianto, a small sad smile on her lips. 'I believe this means you no longer have to take me shopping.' Ianto smiled back and slipped his hand into hers.

'We can always window shop,' he answered softly.

Moving on they found four rooms the plans designated as 'sleeping quarters'. Gwen mooned over every room they opened, commenting on the color and décor of each. The last room of the corridor was simply titled 'Eva's Room' in the plans. It had double doors of the finest woods the planet of Nexain had to offer. The artistry of the carpentry work done to them was exquisite. Eva took hold of the door handles and let go suddenly, gasping.

'What?' Jack asked, suddenly at her side.

'The handles; they are solid gold. Solid Andorran gold – a rare precious metal of the Kingdom,' she breathed, taking hold of the knobs and pushing open the doors.

The appointments of the rooms were beyond measure. The room was cut into three areas: bedroom, lounging area and bathroom. Silks hung from windows, brocaded linens covered the bed, settees, chaise lounges and chairs. Furs of the highest quality were laid on the peach marble floors and draped across furniture made by the finest and most gifted of artisans.

A great fireplace was set against one wall of the lounging area that could be seen from the signature piece of the entire suite: the bed. It was made of carved rosewood from Nexain. It was a giant four poster bed with curtains made of gossamer silks in colors of browns, burnt oranges and mint greens to blend with the peach of the marble. The headboard was engraved with Eva's own insignia and it was large enough to accommodate all five of them and then some – as Jack gleefully proved by grabbing Ianto, Eva, Gwen and then Rhys and tossing each on the bed. He then threw himself on between Ianto and Eva.

They were all laughing and adjusting the plush, silk covered pillows around them. Then Jack noticed the bed curtains – and gasped. They were encrusted with diamonds and jewels sewn in intricate patterns on the curtains. But it was the diamonds that caught his attention.

'What is it?' Ianto asked. Jack brought the curtains on to the bed and pointed at the diamonds.

'Arcadian diamonds. The rarest gems of the Damaceen Cluster,' Jack answered. Gwen and Ianto both looked to Jack, the curtains, then back to each other – and laughed long and loud.

'They weren't in my time,' Eva said softly. 'I…always had a soft spot for them. My Lord the Prince would always give them to me, either as whole gems or fashioned into jewelry. I wore them only when I was in the presence of the Royal Highnesses alone. The stones were considered too common to be worn in public – and they would have interfered in the event of emergency combat. The Queen was also fond of the gems; the Old King gave me her trinkets of them when she passed.'

'Eva,' Ianto said, pointing to a dressing table to the right of the bed. Eva crawled off the bed, Ianto following her. On the table were several jewelry boxes. Eva's hand immediately went to her mouth. She opened the first and inside was jewelry…Arcadian diamond jewelry.

Ianto pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. 'Oh Eva,' he whispered, his Welsh accent deep with emotion. 'They loved you…so much.'

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Since the arrival of the cylinder ruined everyone's sleep, Eva offered the rooms up to everyone to catch up on that lost sleep. Gwen and Rhys immediately took one of the first rooms they saw. It had a grand bathtub and a wonderful bed, Gwen had noted. Eva told them not to worry about tidying up after themselves; the vessel was equipped with cleanbots that would handle any messes.

She then put the vessel in sleep mode and all of the lighting within dimmed. Eva walked back into her room and bypassed the bed, going to the balcony in the lounging area. The balcony was set as if it were open to the desert world of Nexain. Eva gathered the thick wrap she still had on closer to her as she stepped out onto the balcony, admiring the holo-generated view.

After a few minutes of enjoying the desert's evening breezes, she felt the presence of Ianto behind her.

'Yes, Ianto Jones?' she asked politely.

'I checked on the Hub, just to make sure everything was okay,' he said, stepping next to her and admiring the view.

'Where is the Captain?' she asked.

'Enjoying that island of a bed,' Ianto said, smirking. 'I don't think he'll ever want to sleep on my measly King bed again.' Both he and Eva shared a chuckle over that, then turned back out to admire the view.

'Eva,' he said softly.

'Yes?' she answered.

'Who does that other set of armor belong to?'

'No one,' she answered quickly. 'Not as of yet.'

Ianto turned from the view to her. 'Eva,' he began. 'The King asked if you had made a choice. What did he mean?'

Eva sighed deeply, then turned to sit on a plush settee on the balcony. She patted the cushion next to her. 'Sit with me, please? I have much to say – and a question to pose to you.'

Ianto raised an eyebrow to her request, but sat immediately. Eva was sometimes like Jack in that she didn't always offer information. She sighed again and looked to Ianto with something akin to fear in her gaze. Ianto took her hand in his. 'Don't be afraid, Eva. I won't bite.'

Eva chuckled and studied the hand in hers as she began.

'You know that I am like the Captain. I will not stay dead. Even without the nano genes helping, I am touched by the same power that keeps bringing him back to life.' Ianto nodded.

'When I was created and my creators and the Old King realized what a mistake they had made, the Old King sent a query throughout the planet for scholar and charlatan alike to answer: he asked if one was able to live forever, what would make their long existence bearable? The answer was unanimous – if one lives forever, they need a mate that can do the same to ease their collective loneliness. So…I was given the ability to choose one Kai as my mate…and ask him or her to walk through eternity with me.' She still had not looked into his face, instead was tracing the lifelines in the palm of his hand. She then looked into his face, her eyes swirling toffee and emerald pools.

'Ianto Jones…I have found none other worthy of the Gift granted to me. I wish to grant it to you. I wish….I want…for you to become like me, like Jack, but more. I wish for you to become an Archangel. Your designation would be The Metatron: The Voice of the Great One.' Eva then stopped and looked down again.

Ianto simply stared at her; his silence her only answer.

'I am sorry if I offended-,' she began.

'Would Jack be with us?' he asked suddenly, holding Eva's hand tightly as he cut her off.

Eva nodded. 'Of course, we would be Torchwood's Archangels. Woe unto them that would stand against those that we protect.'

Ianto smiled softly, then leaned in and kissed Eva tenderly on her lips. He then brought his mouth to the side of her neck.

'Archangel Eva Tovar of Torchwood, my answer is yes,' he whispered softly against her ear.

AN: Good grief – I feel like I just read 'The Stand' all over again! Well, B & G's, thanks for sticking around – hope this was a proper build-up, sorry this kind of fluffed up a bit – but I finally got the train back on the rails! So, if you like, hate, don't really know, please review…Plot Bunnies need to be fed and made happy; that way I can create a little more….


	7. Chapter 7: Angels In Transition

_AN: And this one's for those of us that got seats in the 700 level of Vet's Stadium to watch Genesis and the 3 Big Screens in the rain (The lamb Lies Down On Broadway – The BEST lightshow ever without chemical assistance! Bar none!): Torchwood – don't own it, ain't making green off it. Summary: Ianto tells Jack his decision. Eva makes Jack an offer he can't refuse and Ianto contemplates his final hours as a human_.

Torchwood: Archangel

Chapter Seven: Angels In Transition

_**Ianto**_

He held her close, crushing her small frame into his body. She asked…and he said yes. Eternity…he could finally contemplate something other than dying young. He felt so many times like a character from a black-and-white movie from the 40's he saw as a child.

"_We ain't got no future. We's got today, tomorrow and maybe the next day if we're lucky."_

He felt light…he pulled Eva even closer. If he could, he would burrow himself into her soul. Before he knew it, silent tears coursed down his cheeks. Eva pulled back and gently wiped them from his face with her thumbs.

'Why?' she whispered. 'Are you having second thoughts?'

Ianto chuckled softly as Eva laid him tenderly into the cushions of the settee. 'I honestly can't say why I'm crying…I just. I feel…_hope_! For so long…after Tosh and Owen, I put myself on an internal countdown clock as to how long before I died…because I knew I would die before I'd let anything happen to Gwen. When that Dalek broke into the Hub when they moved the Earth to the Medusa Cascade I thought, _Okay – this is it. Go save the universe, Jack. I love you. Good bye_. Then Gwen gave me an automatic weapon and we fired on the Dalek, even though we both knew it would be useless. Then Tosh's time bubble activated, sealing the Dalek out and us in. If it wasn't for that bubble…,' Ianto's voice trailed off as he took Eva's hand in his again. He studied the swirls and patterns in her hand as she had his before.

'I wondered how would Jack deal with my death. I am only one of so many. When he came back after being buried and frozen and God knows what else by Gray and his twisted machinations, he was so broken. He…he had forgotten about me for a time. I mean, he knew who I was…but it took time for us to get back to what we had had before...everything. Then one night he held onto me so tight, my God! That night he was so passionate, so loving. He kept whispering to me to hang on for him as long as I could and he would make life good for both of us for as long as I lived. I guess I was depressed for a time after that. I would find myself thinking, after I die, he'll find another lover soon enough, but I knew a part of him would be broken. Lost…and I always feared how long it would take before he was well again.

'So we've lived like every day was our last while we ignored the chartreuse elephant occupying the center of our lives. I love him – but it has always been tinged with a desperation…a sadness. Now…now it will be different. And…I am content.' He took her hand in his and pulled her into his arms again. 'And you will be with me…and so will Jack. I think…I know…I feel it. This feels right,' he squeezed her hand tightly. 'Why have you chosen me? And what does it mean to be your 'mate'? Why not someone else; Gwen, perhaps? I've seen how you look at her sometimes.'

Eva smiled a soft smile as she caressed Ianto's face with her other hand.

'I love Gwen as I love Jack and you; perhaps more so. She represents all that my Captain fights for. All that is flawed and petty and wonderful and great about this form of Kai…you Earthlings. I…if you could only see as I do. You will soon enough. You, Ianto…are…_breathtaking_. Beautiful beyond measure. You…_shine_. Jack…My Captain Jack…he shines so; almost to the point that he burns. But yours…yours is quiet, calm, tender…and as bright as any nova. And then, there is your mind, your wit, your caring for me and Gwen – and even your passed friends. Do not think that I have not seen you go to the morgue and speak with Tosh from time to time. Or when I hear you muttering to yourself and you say 'Cockney Nutter' that I do not know who you mean.

'With all that is required of you, you still make sure that you have time to ask me how I am…you and Jack look in on me at night. I see the passion Jack has for you…his love for you is all consuming. You…you are THE ONE for him. In the future he would have forgotten your name, but never your face…or what he felt for you. But now…he will be complete. Some loves ARE meant to last forever…like that The Great One has for all of his flawed, wonderful and terrible creations.' She looked up to the pixel generated night sky, then across the oasis to the dunes of a planet landscape that in this time was dead and barren.

'Love – it has so many shades; so many forms. There is the physical, the metaphysical, the sexual, the sensual, the written, the spoken…and most of all,' she whispered putting her hand over Ianto's heart. 'The felt.' She sighed suddenly and looked into Ianto's eyes, asking for silent permission. He nodded and Eva then leaned in and kissed Ianto tenderly on his lips as he wrapped his arms around her and hungrily returned her kiss.

_**Eva**_

She could _See_ as the Nexainians of old; as the TimeLords. She could _See_ Time stretched out before them. She saw herself and Jack now; static and unmoving throughout time…and it would be a long time. Then she looked to Ianto; he was the One her Kings of old had promised her. _He would be the Love of the Captain_, they said. His light was dimmer then Jack's, but brighter than any Kai she had ever seen; even Gwen's wasn't as bright...as _brilliant_. As she looked forward, she could see Ianto become solid and static as she and Jack; his form no longer wavered and his inner light was no longer dim, but as bright as hers or Jack's…and yet still so tender…so loving as she looked through the years as one flips pages in a book. She could see that she would leave one day, Ianto would follow her and they would spend millennia amongst the stars without their Jack. He, Jack, would flit to other stars, change his name thousands of times, learn ways of changing his form, of traveling without transport, of controlling the temporal vortex within himself, as both she and Ianto would learn with time. And his outer form would match his inner light…_like a starburst_…

'What did you mean when you said 'mate'?' Ianto asked again, licking the taste of Eva's lips from his own.

'What does it mean to you?' she asked, pulling away from him and settling herself in the settee.

'I don't know…partner, lover, friend-,' his voice trailed off. 'But I have all of that with Jack.'

'And I would never stand in the way of that. To the Nexainians it meant the same things, but it also meant something much simpler. It means to have someone alike – similar. You will never be alone again, Ianto. Neither Jack nor I will abandon you. Ever again.' She smiled then, a soft chuckle escaping her. 'To me, it would be the honor or honors to share my gifts with you, to make you an Eternal. To have you walk by my side. I would be…am…so blessed. All because of you, Ianto Jones.' She took his hand in hers. 'There will be times where I will have to make hard choices. Determinations that could mean the destruction of whole civilizations…of entire worlds. On my own, my faith would wane…and I probably would have walked away from it with time. But with **you** - you, Ianto Jones, to ground me, to save me from grief and its overwhelming and inherit madness…I will endure. You are the one I choose. You will save both Jack and myself. And we, in turn, will always save you. We shall be The Triumvirate. The Captain and his Archangels.'

Ianto stood from the settee and turning, pulled Eva up by their still entwined hands. Smiling, she rose with him. 'We'll tell Jack in the morning,' he said smiling softly. 'Or whenever it's morning here,' he added with a chuckle.

'As you wish,' she answered as they walked over to the bed. On it lay Jack, stripped of all his clothes save his boxers, burrowed between silk sheets, a fluffy duvet and several pillows. The both of them smiled at the display of absolute contentment he made.

'Sleep with us,' Ianto said softly, pulling Eva close.

Eva chuckled softly. 'This bed was made for me by the command of my King. You are going to have a hard time keeping me out of it.' She then crawled onto the bed and finding her way under the covers, accommodated herself on the far side. She then looked up to Ianto. 'In you go,' she said, patting the space between her and Jack. 'I told you I would not get in the way. I meant that literally as well as figuratively.' She snuggled down under the covers as she felt Ianto slip in between them and cuddle close to her.

'Good night,' he whispered, tucking himself closer to Jack and pulling Eva closer still to him.

_**Jack**_

'What?!' Jack practically screeched. He had been surprised to find Ianto wrapped around Eva, while Eva had loosely taken hold of his hand that was draped over Ianto in the bed earlier. But this…well, it just took the cake!

Ianto walked up to him and taking his hand, held it firmly within his own.

'I can stay with you. I won't get sick or grow old or die,' Ianto answered softly. 'You won't have to worry about me as we go about saving Cardiff…The Earth…The Universe.'

Jack sat down hard on the sectional sofa in front of the grand fireplace. Eva had set the internal controls to bring daylight up six hours later and a bot had entered the room to awaken them and serve a brunch of scramble, toast, bacon, coffee and orange juice in the lounge. It was while they were finishing their repast that Ianto decided it was time to let Jack in on the news.

'Don't think I don't know what goes through your head sometimes. You wonder if I'm coming back. You know as well as I that I would do anything to protect Gwen. As you do. I really WANT this, Jack. Not for power or glory. But…to see…beyond all this. To KNOW firsthand the beauty and wonder that is out there.' Ianto then began chuckling softly, still holding Jack's hand. 'Eva always speaks of faith…of her Great One. This is the first time…in so long…that I _**believe**_.'

Jack looked into the blue eyes of his lover. He cupped his face in between his hands and simply stared. _Forever_, he thought, taking in his upturned nose, his dark curly hair…and those beautiful eyes. More than a thousand plus years of being buried, of coming alive and dying again and again had robbed him of many intimate moments with this beautiful man. But he never forgot the stillness that was held within those two crystal blue pools. To see it, to feel it…and now to know he would never lose it again. Things would change around them; governments would come and go, stars would go nova and new planets would be born while old ones would die….but they three would be _constant_. The concept thrilled and terrified him. He leaned in and kissed Ianto's lips tenderly, tasting him softly. Almost heartbreakingly so. He then turned to Eva, who was sitting quietly at his other side.

'What do you get out of this?' he asked.

She smiled a typical Harkness grin. 'Two for the price of one,' she said softly, leaning in and taking Jack's lips in a tender kiss. 'I would never leave your side, my Lord. The tomes within the Library here can teach you how to harness the vortex energy within yourself. I would have taught you as best I could on my own…but now… Eternity is not the long abysmal road stretching out as far as your eyes can see.' She took his hand in both of hers and squeezed it excitedly, yet tenderly. 'You, my Lord, will live a very long time. Take on many forms; watch this world change, age and ultimately die. And every step of the way, I would be by your side. Now…so will Ianto. His soul…sings the song of eternity. If anything he handles the concept better than you. Yours was thrust upon you and you continually see it as a bad thing. But now, it will be a gift. Before this, yes, I contend it would have been a terrible burden. Now…,' she took Jack's face in her hands and kissed him deeply. He opened his mouth, granting her tongue access to his. When he gasped for air, she pulled away from him. 'It will be so much more, my dear Lord,' she whispered huskily.

Jack's eyes slowly focused on Eva, then Ianto. The both of them simply smiled at him.

'Forever,' Jack whispered; a small smile ghosting across his face even as tears welled up in his eyes and tumbled over. Ianto moved closer, kissing his tears away as Eva leaned her head on his shoulder, encircling him in her embrace.

'Forever,' Ianto whispered, taking his lips again.

'Forever,' Eva whispered into his ear, her lips ghosting along the side of his face and neck, her warm breath making goose bumps stand out on his flesh. Jack closed his eyes and groaned, throwing his head back and pulling them both closer.

His body shook with emotion as he held them. They would keep him sane through the long years; he would love them both and be loved by both separately and jointly throughout the millennia. They would leave him from time to time, but they would always come back to him. They would not leave him like The Doctor. And to them…he wasn't _wrong_.

Eva gasped, hugging him tighter. 'Never to me, my Lord,' she whispered aloud. 'May that Gallifreyan and his high brow ideals be damned,' she continued vehemently. Jack chuckled softly.

_I REALLY HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO SHUT DOWN THE PDT._ He then pulled away from the pair. 'So…how. How do we do this?' he asked.

Eva's hands grasped both Ianto's and Jack's. 'It is called Transition. Ianto and I will sleep for three days; 72 hours. On the 2nd day, twenty-four hours after Transition begins, you must join us. Forty-eight hours later we three will awaken…and Transition will be complete.'

'Why do I need to sleep with you?' Jack asked. Eva and Ianto both smirked. 'Okay, both of you! Minds out of the gutter for a second, please,' Jack admonished.

'Oh, how the worm turns,' Ianto muttered.

'It will strengthen our bonds to each other,' Eva answered simply. 'You will call and we will answer. At the blink of an eye, we will be where you need us – whenever and wherever.'

'What about Gwen?' Jack asked.

'She can not join us. She walks another path,' Eva answered, lowering her head.

'You can See, can't you?' Ianto asked suddenly. 'Like…like Jack said The Doctor told him. You see…the past, the present and the future,' his voice trailed off as Eva nodded. 'Will I see things like that?'

'Yes,' she whispered, looking up to his face. 'Does that frighten you?'

'No,' Ianto answered quickly. 'And yes. But…I've not changed my mind.' Ianto turned to Jack. 'I really _will_ know everything,' he said, smiling.

'What do you see of Gwen?' Jack asked, squeezing Eva's hand tenderly. Eva closed her eyes – and when she opened them, they glowed slightly, giving an iridescence to the brown and green within.

'She now has many names: _Police Constable, Torchwood Officer, Special Ops Operative, Wife, Friend, Fighter, Lover_. In the future she will have more: _Mum, Grandmum, Council Board Member, Lord Mayor…_and one day_…Madame Prime Minister_. Many names…but _Archangel_ will not be one of them.' She closed her eyes and turned to Jack, opening them again. The iridescence was gone, but the swirling colors of toffee and emerald were still present. 'I am so sorry,' she whispered.

Jack leaned towards her and kissed her lips tenderly, then turned to Ianto and kissed his lips just as tenderly. 'I'm not,' he answered, encircling them both within his arms and pulling them both to his chest again. After minutes of contented peace where hands touched, lips kissed, tongues dueled and fingers stroked, Jack finally spoke.

'We have to tell Gwen – and then get Martha and the Mouse back here.'

'Of course,' Eva answered, sighing happily.

'When do you want to start…Transition?' Jack asked.

'It is Ianto's choice,' Eva began.

'Tomorrow morning,' Ianto answered quickly. 'The sooner, the better.'

'Tomorrow morning it is,' Eva answered, disentangled herself from the pair and kissed both soundly and deeply on their lips. 'I must begin preparations,' she said in way of explanation. 'Shall we go out for dinner tonight?'

Jack and Ianto looked to each other, then nodded in agreement.

'Our favorite Mediterranean place?' she asked. Ianto nodded again. 'Then I will make reservations.'

'Provided the Rift doesn't throw a wobbly at us,' Jack added.

Eva then bowed her head and left the two men alone in front of the fireplace. Jack turned to Ianto and kissed him tenderly, softly. Ianto returned the kissed heatedly. Jack pulled away when oxygen became an issue and looked at him hungrily; asking without saying a word.

'Yes,' Ianto whispered. 'Please.' That word 'please' said so sexily from kissed bruised lips, Jack couldn't have refused if he tried. Both men began kissing again, pawing at each others' clothing, desperate for skin on skin contact.

~~TWTWTWTW~~

As they both lay nude basking in the afterglow, Jack straddled Ianto on the sofa and, looking down at him, asked a simple question. 'If you had the opportunity, would you have sex with Eva?'

Ianto smirked up at him. 'No,' he answered truthfully. 'It wouldn't be sex, it would be making love. Just like it is with you. This,' he said gesturing between their nude bodies. 'It is not a casual shag, or sex. When I have you, when I let you have me, it is making love. Got it?'

Jack simply nodded. 'And to answer your question, yes. I would make love to Eva; make love _with_ Eva. Wouldn't you?'

Jack nodded in agreement and he took Ianto's lips possessively. 'If you are the one to make love with her first, be gentle,' he said when he ended the kiss.

'Why?'

'Do you honestly think she was sleeping around before us?'

'You mean…she is…_no way_,' Ianto breathed. But then he remembered her child-like actions when she first arrived. The reaction she produced in Jack did not phase her…she truly had no idea what she was doing to Jack physically. He _felt_ it later that night…Jack was an intense sexual madman. And the Prince – he _never _would have allowed someone; _anyone _to touch her in that manner and live. He then looked up to Jack and smiled. 'I'll be as gentle with her as you were with me our first time,' he answered softly. 'We'll both make it right for her…I. I love her, Jack. If she had been taken from us…it really would have hurt.'

Jack smiled softly, gathering the young Welshman into his arms. 'I love her to,' he whispered into Ianto's hair. 'And it really would have hurt me as well. But now…now she'll never leave us.'

Both Ianto and Jack looked into each others' eyes…and smiled.

_**Gwen**_

'_**What?!**_' Gwen screeched. She and Rhys had awoken to a bot serving them brunch in bed after their wonderful rest. After their equally wonderful soak in the enormous tub, they sauntered into Eva's room to find Jack and Ianto on the balcony overlooking the holographic facsimile of Eva's homeworld.

As they were enjoying the view, Jack and Ianto decided to break the news. Gwen's reaction made them both smile.

'But…how? Are you sure…will you be okay? I mean…Eva has never done this before! What…what if something goes wrong?!'

'That's why I've called Martha and asked her to come in for a few days. She and Mickey will be here tomorrow morning. They will monitor the entire event; UNIT will be your backup should the Rift act up. I will join Eva and Ianto twenty-four hours after the process begins. Forty-eight hours later, we'll all be here, safe and sound, with you, Rhys, Martha, and the Mouse. We'll go out to celebrate,' Jack explained, taking hold of Gwen's hand and patting it gently. Both he and Ianto smiled.

Gwen snatched her hand back, seething with sudden anger. Didn't they _**understand?!**_ What if _something_ went wrong? Then where would that leave her? She would be alone – left behind to rebuild Torchwood Cardiff – _**ALONE!!!**_

She would have to lead a new team…she had led the others when Jack went away on his failed quest to become mortal with The Doctor. But this time…there would be _no one_! She looked to the two men talking and laughing with Rhys, explaining as much as they could of what Eva had told them. Rhys…her husband…_but he wasn't Jack_.

She knew that Jack was with Ianto, just like she was with Rhys…but. Ianto…if he had gone to Turnmill instead of Owen... If he hadn't stayed with her…if he had stayed with Tosh, then Gray would have killed both Ianto and Tosh. But now…_Eva_ was taking them _**BOTH**_ away from her!!

_What…what about me?_

'You walk another path, dearest Gwen Williams,' Eva said quietly, suddenly appearing at her side. Gwen started slightly, so wrapped up in her thoughts that hadn't heard Eva approach. She turned and started again. Eva was dressed in robes of copper, burnt orange and burgundy red silks. On her feet were leather boots in a deep brown color. Jack and Ianto both looked from Rhys and simply stared. They then looked to each other and smiled again. Eva gave them a small Iantonian smirk in acknowledgement. 'I am going to steal Gwen away for a bit, if I may?' The three men nodded. 'The time is now 5pm and our reservations are for 6:30. I have located some clothing for all of you and have had them set aside. I do hope that Rhys and you will join us for dinner this evening?'

Gwen turned to Rhys. 'Sure,' he said, shrugging his shoulders. 'Where at?'

'The Mediterranean place near the waterfront,' Jack answered. 'Work for you guys?'

'Perfect,' Gwen answered, smiling at Rhys. He in turn smiled back.

'I'm off to make myself a bit posh,' Rhys answered, walking towards the exit. 'Meet everyone in a bit then?'

'An hour,' Eva answered. 'Right here.' Rhys waved to the men, kissing Gwen as he walked out of the room. Jack and Ianto walked towards the bathroom area of Eva's suite while Eva stayed with Gwen out on the terrace. Eva walked to the settee and, sitting down, looked to Gwen.

'You think I'm taking them away from you,' Eva said evenly. Gwen rounded on her, jealousy, anger and fear burning in her eyes.

'Well, aren't you?' Gwen countered. 'When you first arrived, I thought Great – an alien that can help us for a change. Someone that could keep Jack and Ianto safe. Then we find out you are like Jack…you would always come back – like him. Someone else The Doctor could not fix. But then you were living with them – with Jack AND Ianto – and I could see them pulling away from me. I didn't say anything before. Ianto…Ianto was smiling again. He was happy after being quiet and morose for so long….' She then threw herself into the settee next to Eva. 'Why Ianto? Why…not me?'

Eva smiled her little sad smile as she took Gwen's hand in hers. 'Because…you have a life outside of Torchwood, but Jack, Ianto and I do not. You will walk another path; your life will be so different from what it is now. And it begins…soon enough.'

Gwen looked at Eva wide eyed. 'What do you mean? Am I going to die?! Oh God! Is Rhys?!'

Eva's hand went to Gwen's belly. 'You have been a bit more hormonal lately. I noticed a change in your Light. All you Kai have a glow about you, but yours…it was brighter…until I noticed it wasn't that your Light got brighter…_it is another Light within you_.'

Gwen froze, shaking her head while Eva began nodding hers. 'It is true,' Eva continued softly. 'Rhys will be very happy. Your tests may not show it now…but it will be a son. One of many. I am…_so_ happy for you.'

Gwen sat stunned for a few moments as Eva stood and admired the view. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to bask in the glow and heat of the computer generated sun. She then turned and joined Gwen on the settee again.

'Are you still with me, Mrs. Williams?' she asked softly.

'How will Ianto and Jack cope without me?' she asked in a small voice. 'I can't have a child in the Hub. Myfanwy might mistake it…the baby…for a treat….'

Eva laughed at the small joke. 'We will be with you always, Gwen. For you, Rhys, your children…you will go beyond Torchwood, but you will never forget us. You are our beacon; the reason that Jack, Ianto and I fight to keep this world relatively safe and sane. We are not leaving you behind, Gwen. It is _you_ that will _grow beyond us_.' Eva rose from the settee again, pulling Gwen up with her. 'And that is the way of all things. Even we that will be constants in the universe until the end of all things…we must change…adapt to survive…but we must never forget why we accept these mantles thrust upon us. Because without them…we would not have _purpose_.' She then took Gwen's hand in hers and kissed the inside of her wrist, tenderly, lovingly. Gwen looked at her rather surprised. 'You are _my_ purpose,' she whispered, kissing her cheek.

Gwen finally found her voice, breaking the silence Eva's declaration left behind. 'I…you will watch over them? Ianto and Jack? My…my children?' Eva smiled again, nodding.

'Always. I will watch over them…and you,' she answered.

'Well,' Gwen said after a bit. 'I think it's time I joined my husband and made myself presentable for dinner tonight.'

Eva smiled again, nodding. 'Remember, 6 o'clock back here. Reservations at 6:30.'

~~TWTWTWTW~~

_**Ianto**_

He watched both Eva and Jack sleeping close to each other as he lay on the other side of the bed, content to simply observe. Gwen was a bit subdued during dinner; it was during pudding that she broke the news to the group that she was expecting. Jack turned to Eva, who simply nodded in return. Rhys was beside himself. He was elated that they had a child on the way. He was terrified that Gwen was pregnant while working Torchwood. Eva allayed his fears while he then turned to Gwen and kissed her senseless for all and sundry to see.

Jack gripped Ianto's hand under the table, while he in turn gripped Eva's.

It was cooler now, the desert breezes wafting through the entire suite. He put himself in between Eva and Jack as he climbed back into the bed. Eva immediately rolled over, making the space for Ianto wider. Ianto then took her into his arms. Tomorrow…tomorrow would be the beginning of a new life for him. For all of them…he snuggled against Jack as he held Eva close.

As sleep claimed him, he thought of many things: Owen, Tosh, Lisa…his life before. His parents, dead and gone…would he remember them in a thousand years? Or in ten thousand? He sighed, a mixture of hope and fear coming out in the physical form of compressed air. Oh…how different life was going to be!

~~TWTWTWTW~~

Jack, Martha, Gwen and Mickey stood by the great bed in Eva's suite and they watched Eva and Ianto settle into The Sleep of Transition. Martha wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she trusted Eva wholeheartedly and knew she wouldn't do anything to harm a hair on Ianto's head. As she gave them both clean bills of health, Eva took Martha's hand in hers.

'Thank you for having such faith in me,' she said simply.

'Don't thank me, thank Jack,' Martha answered. She squeezed Eva's hand in return. 'Just…come back to us.'

Eva smiled softly at that. 'I will,' she answered as she kissed Martha tenderly on her cheek. She then kissed everyone else in turn. With Jack, her kiss lingered, a promise of the delights to come. Jack smiled at that. She then accommodated herself on the bed. Ianto then kissed everyone as well. With Jack, his kiss lingered as well; after all, he was saying goodbye to his lover with a kiss if this failed. He then joined Eva, accommodating himself within the cushions and comforters. Eva then looked to Jack.

'Remember, twenty-four hours, come Hell or high water, you must join us. You place is in the middle, between us. Ianto and I will curl around you, embracing you between us. And then we will sleep forty-eight hours more. Then Transition will be complete.'

'Twenty-four hours,' Jack answered, smiling his trademark Harkness grin. 'I'll be here with bells on.'

Eva nodded, then taking Ianto's hand in hers, raised her right hand above her head, then touched the center of her forehead. She fell back on the cushions, a slight huff of air escaping her. Both she and Ianto were fast asleep. The lighting within the capsule then changed, everything taking on hues of blue, purple and green.

'_TRANSITION BEGINS_,' a female computerized voice announced throughout the capsule. '_TRANSITION BEGINS. STAGE ONE COMMENSING NOW. STAGE TWO IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS. COUNTDOWN BEGINS._

Martha turned to Jack. 'Now…we wait,' he said looking on at the two most important people in his universe.

_AN: Yeah, kind of fluffy…couldn't really escape it. I figure I've got two more chapters and an epilogue - and this one is wrapped! I am SO STOKED! And for you Janto shippers, sorry if this busts it all up for you…but I really like the idea of Three. Hey, I can't help it, Closet Catholic here. Thanks for all you jumping and reading when I post; you have NO IDEA what an ego boost it is when a chapter goes up and you have almost 150 hits its first day…now if only you guys could post reviews….Muse Bunnies must be fed after all…_

_Next up: Jack muses over his life and contemplates his future…one that is decidedly not as bleak as first thought._


	8. Chapter 8: Sleeping Angels

_AN: The usual: Torchwood: don't own it; none of the characters are mine EXCEPT Eva. She's all mine and I'm not making any money off of any of it. Summary: As Ianto and Eva sleep, Transition begins. Jack contemplates the past and his future – a future that now is decidedly not as bleak as he first thought. The others also remember moments with Jack, Ianto and Eva. Twenty four hours later, he joins them for the last two days of Transition._

Torchwood: Archangel

Chapter Eight: Sleeping Angels

24:00 Hours to Completion of Stage One of Transition

Countdown Begins….

_**20:00 Hours **_….

The others had left; Martha and Mickey had set up monitors that showed the progression of this…Transition. Jack stood leaning against a pillar that led from the lounge to the bedroom section of Eva's suite, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked to the bed…they looked so peaceful.

_Eva….Ianto….FOREVER…_

~~TWTWTW~~

Gwen and Martha had insisted on dragging Jack out of the Hub for breakfast on Eva and Ianto's orders (it was a request, but Jack didn't need to know that), once it was determined that both were well on their way with Transition. Mickey remained behind to monitor Rift activity, begin a few needed computer upgrades and (most importantly as far as Jack was concerned) watch over _The Sleeping Angels_, as Gwen was calling them.

Breakfast was a subdued affair at the restaurant. Jack apologized to both Gwen and Martha as they perused the menus. 'My heart isn't in this,' he said, vaguely gesturing to them and the table. 'It's back there…with them.'

Martha and The Doctor had agreed to keep what they knew of The Face of Boe to themselves as it could change Jack's future. But now…there was a possibility that future was already changed. Eva cleared that up before…

'_You appeared troubled, Martha Jones,' Eva said as the doctor passed the medical scanner over the cyborg's body._

'_Yes,' she answered softly; she didn't want Jack or the others to hear. She then looked the Archangel in the eyes. 'Whatever happens, don't hurt Ianto…or Jack.'_

_Eva looked back at Martha for a second before she removed her hospital gown and replaced it with a long satin sheath gown the color of burgundy. Her hands smoothed the fabric into place as she turned back to Martha. 'My Captain says that this color suits me…but I believe it suits Ianto better. I love him in dark red and light grey. Just as I love the Captain in his greatcoat and dark blue shirt with his black waistcoat and trousers with just a touch of white undershirt peaking out at the top. I would never allow anything to hurt Ianto or my Captain, Martha Jones. I…love him. I … love them both. They…I have changed so much since my arrival here. And they have watched over me every step of the way. Do you honestly believe, that now, when their fates are entrusted in my hands, that I would harm them?' Eva took Martha's hand in hers. 'They will save me in the long millennia to come…just as I will save them…him. Jack…The Face of Boe.'_

_Martha started. 'How did you-,' she began._

'_I will let you in on a little secret. When you watched the last of Boe Kind die, I was in the shadows of the Senate Hall with Ianto, waiting for you and the TimeLord to leave so we could collect our beloved. That was but one of the many visages he will take…it was not his end. Just…the prelude to another beginning.'_

~~TW TW TW~~

Martha was strangely comforted by that. That sad, noble end she witnessed on a planet that probably didn't even support indigenous life yet was _not_ his end. She clasped Jack's hand and kissed him tenderly on his cheek. 'Let's make sure at the very least you don't get completely maudlin on us,' she said cheerfully as she reopened her menu. Jack squeezed her hand in return and smiled at her. The same smile he had given to both Ianto and Eva earlier.

24:00 Hours to Completion of Stage One of Transition

Countdown Begins….

_**17:00 Hours….**_

Jack was watching a holo-book in the lounge while he looked over to his Sleeping Angels on the bed. They both were so pale; their skin was almost translucent. Oh…how he just wanted to be with them! Just slip in between them, feel Ianto's strong arms wrap around his body, feel Eva's lips ghost over his skin as her fingers danced patterns across his bare chest…

But the Archangel, ever the voice of reason, cautioned him not to join them early. From the information she obtained from the data orb, the first twenty-four hours were _crucial_ to Ianto's reconstruction. Eva was the template the process would use to recreate Ianto at the molecular level. If _anyone_ interfered – it would kill Ianto, permanently injure Eva and destroy the interloper.

_The night before Jack made it into the bed first. Ianto followed; Eva was going to give them some time together alone, but they both called her back. She gave them a shy smile as they accommodated her between them in the bed. As she lay semi-reclined on the pillows, Ianto put his head near her shoulder on the pillows and his arm over her chest while Jack rested his head on her stomach, one hand resting on her thigh. Slowly, she moved her fingers through Jack's hair, carding his now unruly locks while she traced her hand up and down Ianto's arm. Ianto sighed deeply, looking down to Jack with tired eyes. Jack's own eyes were losing the battle to sleep. He heard more than saw the smile on Eva's face._

'_Sleep,' she said to both of them softly._

_When Jack awoke again, Ianto was between him and Eva. She was awake and studying Ianto's sleeping form intently, her hand close enough to his skin to register the heat of his body without touching him._

_MY CAPTAIN, her voice whispered into his mind._

_MY EVA, he answered, studying her as intently. Her long blood red hair, her eyes that at times appeared to be that of a doll's, her body…a joy to watch… and touch._

_YES, she answered, smiling softly. YOURS…AND HIS. AS HE HAS FOUND A MODICUM OF PEACE, SO HAVE I._

_WHY DID YOU CHOOSE HIM? He had to ask._

_MY KINGS TOLD ME MY MATE WOULD BE YOUR BELOVED. AND TO KEEP BOTH YOU AND ME SANE THROUGH THE LONG ADVENTURE THAT WILL BE OUR LIVES, WE NEEDED A THIRD. ONE WHOSE HEART WAS UNDERSTANDING AND LARGE ENOUGH TO LOVE US BOTH. Eva turned to lie on her back._

_THE FIRST TIME I LAID EYES ON HIM…I DESIRED HIM. THAT DARK GREY PINSTRIPE SUIT. THE RED ACCENTS HE WEARS BECAUSE HE KNOWS IT PLEASES YOU. SUCH A YOUNG, PERFECT BODY, YET SUCH AN ANCIENT SOUL. She then gasped and rose slightly, turning to her side and resting her head on her crooked elbow and hand. She gave Jack a withering look._

_YOU THOUGHT I WAS A VIRGIN?_

_Jack had the temerity to look chagrined. SO, he asked after a bit. WHO WAS IT?_

_NOT MY PRINCE…ALTHOUGH NOW I SEE HE WOULD HAVE QUITE EASILY… NO. IT WAS SOMEONE DIFFERENT. Jack's PDT began to receive images of Eva's first lover. He realized the man was a mix of himself and Ianto. Tall, his skin a blend of Jack's tanned and Ianto's light. Broad shoulders and chest; fine muscular arms that tapered to beautiful hands with long fingers. His hair was black…longer than Ianto's or Jack's; and the most beautiful green eyes he'd ever seen. Jack found himself attracted to the image._

_HIS NAME WAS CASSIS. HE WAS ONE OF MY TUTORS._

_IN WHAT? Jack asked suddenly. He didn't like where this conversation was going._

_**HARKNESS**__!! Eva admonished, then smiled at him. NO, QUANTUM TEMPORAL SPACIAL PHYSICS. She then smiled bitterly, sadly. LATER…IT COULD HAVE BEEN THE KAI VERSION OF THE KAMA SUTRA._

_Jack coughed at that, then looked at her protectively. HE DIDN'T HURT YOU, DID HE?_

_NO, she said after a time. I WAS THE ONE THAT HURT HIM. I…COULD NOT FEEL AS HE FELT. MY MAINFRAME COULD NOT COMPREHEND…I DID NOT UNDERSTAND. HE WAS NOT PART OF MY PROTOCOLS. ONE DAY HE SAID IT WAS OVER AND I SIMPLY ACCEPTED. HE SAID HE DID NOT LOVE ME…AND I DID NOT LOVE HIM EITHER. BUT…IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE._

_Jack slipped out from underneath the covers and crawled over to where Eva was. He laid her flat on the bed as he laid himself on top of her over the covers. He then cradled her face between his hands and kissed her tenderly. She opened her mouth for him after he licked her bottom lip, asking without saying for entrance. They took their time, tongues dancing from one mouth to the other, Jack pouring all his feeling for her into the act. Jack then rested his forehead against hers, his hands still cradling her face. She ran her hands through his hair again, carding it softly as she wrapped them around the back of his head._

_IANTO AND I BOTH LOVE YOU, EVA. I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, WOULD HE HAVE SEX WITH YOU. HE SAID IT WOULDN'T BE SEX; HE SAID HE WOULD MAKE LOVE WITH YOU. HE SAID THAT HE AND I MAKE LOVE. He pulled back to look into her eyes, but they were closed. WITH YOU, IT WOULD ALWAYS BE WITH LOVE, EVA. WE WILL NEVER USE YOU OR MAKE YOU FEEL LESS THAN WHAT YOU ARE. YOU…ARE A BLESSING. FOR IANTO…AND FOR ME. He sighed then and moved his lips over to her ear. 'I will not let you fall, Archangel,' he whispered softly._

_Eva then opened her eyes and looked into his oceanic blue ones; hers a storm of emerald and bark as a tear slid down her cheek. Jack smoothed it away with his thumb. She then gave him a small, heart-breaking smile._

_THEN MY HEART, MY SOUL, MY PROGRAMMING AND MY NEW FOUND FEELINGS ARE IN GOOD HANDS, she whispered as she kissed him again._

~~TW TW TW~~

Jack smiled at the memory as his PDA went off. He contacted the Hub Mainframe and gave it new orders. TRANSMIT ALL FURTHER ALERTS TO MY PDT. He could almost _feel_ the Mainframe rejoice at his decision. Eva and Ianto would both have their PDT's linked to it…_ When in Rome_, he though as he got up and walked out to the Hub.

24:00 Hours to Completion of Stage One of Transition

Countdown Begins….

_**12:00 Hours….**_

Gwen was watching Jack swaying to music playing on the CD player Eva brought to his office month last month. She had said to both Ianto and Gwen that it was time Jack became a part of this time, just like she had to.

It was Jack Johnson…Gwen smiled. She never thought she'd ever see him dance to anything that wasn't swing or Big Band.

Martha came up and, standing next to Gwen, followed her gaze to Jack's office. 'I thought he only listened to Glenn Miller,' she said handing over a file. 'Report on the Weevil hunt today.' Gwen nodded as she opened it and began reading. Jack had captured the creature within fifteen minutes, claiming he learned a few tricks from Eva recently.

'Eva's doing,' she said aloud, harshly. 'She's been showing Jack all sorts of things. New ways to capture rogue Weevils faster, new artists making old music like Harry Connick, Jr. and how to make Ianto an Immortal.' She stopped; then sighed, scrubbing her face with both of her hands. 'Don't mind me – all of this is a bit much for me.'

Martha patted Gwen's shoulder then squeezed it tenderly. 'You have the right to be angry and feel left out,' Martha said softly. 'But they are going one way, you another. Divergences, changes…they always hurt.' She sighed softly, taking the chair next to Gwen's. 'I was a bit put out when I first met Jack. I had a thing for The Doctor; Jack had a thing for him as well. We all suffered so much during that time…the time Jack was away. When everything was corrected and we were all going back, all Jack wanted was to come home. To all of you; but to Ianto most of all. Whenever he spoke of his team, his eyes would light up. But when he spoke of Ianto, they positively glowed. That was when I knew that Jack had found someone to love. My heart soared for a bit and then I realized…Ianto would die one day. We all will die one day and leave him behind. Jack would be all alone.' She stood and smiled at Gwen. 'Now I know that will never happen; Eva promised. And I believe her.' Martha chuckled. 'I bet he loved Harry.'

Gwen laughed at that. 'You had to see him and Ianto dancing. Then Ianto danced with Eva while Jack grabbed me.' She sighed softly. 'It felt…good. Like…before we lost Tosh and Owen.'

'It will get better, Gwen,' Martha said, grasping Gwen's shoulder again. 'Congratulations, by the way,' she added, smiling brightly. 'Jack told us this morning. He also said that Rhys made a request that you make it home by 5pm. I intend to make sure of it.'

'Where are you and Mickey staying?' Gwen asked, realizing that she had no idea what arrangements were made for them.

'Here; in Eva's capsule tonight. We'll probably stay the next couple of days to monitor everything. Unbeknownst to Jack, I rung up The Doctor. He said he would be here before Jack goes in…but you never really know with him.'

'Why did you do that?' Gwen asked, suddenly afraid again.

'In case things go pear-shaped. I'll need an expert here, though I doubt The Doctor could do much. This…has never happened before,' she answered.

Gwen thought back to the end of dinner the night before…

_Rhys was getting their car while Ianto was settling the bill, keeping Eva close. She, however, understood. This was Jack's alone time with Gwen._

_Gwen looked to the Captain's face; his mouth pursed into his contemplative moue as his restless blue eyes stared off into the distance. He looked up to Gwen then, giving her his patented Harkness Grin, complete with dimples. She smiled back, blushing a bit. No matter what happened, Jack would always have that affect on her._

'_Penny for 'em,' he said softly._

'_How…,' she began. 'How do you feel about all of this?' she asked._

_Jack stared at the tarmac outside the restaurant, contemplating how to answer. With Gwen, dancing around the truth never worked. And for the first time in his long life there was no need to doctor the truth._

'_Honestly? Like Ianto said to me when he and Eva told me of their intentions – hope. I have watched so many of my friends, my lovers die. I had a wife at the turn of the century, Annabelle…beautiful creature. She died trying to give birth to our only child. I lost them both…so many have been taken from me. Either by the job, fate or Retcon. They go on, lead other lives, or leave this plane of existence for God only knows where – and I'm…just here. But now…Eva calls us 'The Triumvirate', 'The Captain and His Archangels'. For me…it just means I will have forever…with them.' He turned and watched as Ianto and Eva walked out of the restaurant towards them. 'I now have an eternal family,' he said, turning back to Gwen, smiling softly._

The Rift Activity Alert sounded and Gwen, Mickey and Martha all jumped towards the terminals. Jack rushed out of his office towards Gwen's station.

'What is it and where?' Jack asked.

'Looks like something is coming through – wait a minute. The Rift is opening, but whatever is coming hasn't quite come through yet.' Gwen typed furiously on her keyboard for a few seconds. 'Oh! I don't believe it!'

'What?' Jack asked impatiently.

'It's Cathen of La-Ren. He's transmitting on that signal Eva gave him when he was here last,' Mickey answered. Jack shifted to stand behind Mickey. 'He's going to land on the same area as before in four hours time and wishes an audience with the Lord of the Archangels and to pay his respects on behalf of himself and his peoples,' Mickey continued, reading the message scrolling up the screen.

'Respects?!' Jack asked. 'For what?'

'Doesn't say,' Gwen began. 'Don't worry, Jack. Mickey and I will go out to them. You and Martha can stay here…keep close,' she said, her voice trailing off.

'No,' Jack answered, looking towards Eva's capsule. 'I've still a job to do…and you've another to think about. Besides, apparently I am The Lord of the…wait a minute. Mickey, scroll back the message.'

Mickey did as Jack asked; watching him frown as he re-read the message. 'Do you know if the computer is translating the message properly?'

'As far as I know, Jack,' Mickey answered. 'Why? What's…Archangels,' he breathed as it suddenly made sense. 'How do they know?'

'And who the hell is telling everyone else?' Martha asked, frantically tapping on her keyboard at her station.

'What gives?' Jack asked, now standing behind her.

'UNIT deep space probes are reporting a lot of traffic. Too much for this area, we are light years from most of the intergalactic shipping routes and due to the planet's Class Five status, most stay five parsecs or more away from any deep space satellites. They only do fly-bys to the UNIT ones because it gives them a rise. But this…,' Martha sighed as she turned back to Jack. 'Jack, this is going to put a lot of knickers into a twist.'

Jack was putting on his gun belt as he nodded to Mickey. 'You're with me. I'm going to see what Cathen knows as soon as he lands. In the interim, Martha, Gwen – get on the horns to UNIT, The U.N. and the Prime Minister. Tell everyone TO CALM DOWN. The last thing we need is a bunch of half-crazed human idiots causing World War Five two hundred years before it happens.' He then looked to Gwen again. 'You can call Rhys over and stay here – or go home at five, your choice.'

'He was making his giant lasagna tonight. I'll ring him and ask if he'll just bring it over,' she offered.

Jack simply nodded. 'Martha?'

'Yeah Jack?'

'How many ships are in a holding pattern at present?'

'At present, over one hundred and fifty. All are Starliner class or greater. Hundreds of smaller ones – too many to count at this distance. The Starliners numbers continues to increase by at least fifty to seventy an hour. A few are battleships, but we're not picking up heat signature blooms from any of their firing systems. We're even registering enemies within close proximity to each other, yet they are not firing on each other. All of their monitoring devices are trained on us…on Earth.' Martha then gave Jack an assessing look. 'Jack? I…called The Doctor. I thought he could help. Just in case…,' her voice simply trailed off.

'I understand Martha,' he said walking over to Tosh's old workstation where Ianto usually sat and reached under the desktop. The sound of tearing duct tape filled the Hub as Jack yanked the space standard issue Torchwood sidearm that Ianto kept hidden there in case of emergencies, such as Captain Hart trying to break into the Hub again. Jack turned to Mickey. 'You're armed, right?' Mickey simply nodded. 'Extra clips for this?' Again, Mickey nodded. He turned to Martha. 'Gwen is in charge, you are backup.' He then turned to Gwen. 'The Doctor does NOT go into that capsule under no circumstances until I return. If he ignores that order, you are authorized to shoot. Have I made myself clear?'

Gwen heard Martha gasp, but nodded.

'Transition can not be stopped. If he interferes in any way, it will kill Ianto and him; and leave Eva a mess,' he explained to Martha. 'I won't let that happen.'

Martha slowly nodded in understanding. 'He won't get near them until you get back,' she answered.

Jack let go a breath he didn't realize he was holding. 'Thank you.' He then turned to Mickey, tossing him the keys to the SUV. 'Think you can handle it?'

Mickey smiled broadly. 'Cybermen, Daleks, Alternate Dimensions, Archangels…your SUV? Drive through the park.'

Jack walked to him and clapped him warmly on the back. 'Thanks Mouse,' he whispered. Mickey simply continued smiling.

'Anytime, Captain Cheesecake.'

24:00 Hours to Completion of Stage One of Transition

Countdown Begins….

_**7:30 Hours….**_

Mickey and Jack arrived to what to be an open empty lot. As Mickey parked the SUV, an older looking Cathen stepped out of thin air, followed by three other La-Ren. As soon as Jack stepped out of the SUV, all three bowed their heads and dropped to their knees before him. As Jack waved them up to their feet, the three put three small boxes into Cathen's hands, which he in turn put into Jack's.

'What's this about?' Jack asked.

'A gift for The Celestial Triumvirate to come. For the Captain and His Archangels,' Cathen said, smiling broadly. His smile had far too many teeth for Mickey's liking.

'What Celestial Triumvirate? Would you mind explaining yourself?' Jack asked, looking down at the small boxes in his hands. 'And what is inside these things?'

'The story has been told for as long as our ancestors were able to look up and understand the stars,' a young La-Ren immediately answered, then lowered his head. Cathen gave the young one a scathing glare, then turned to the Captain.

'Forgive him, my Lord Captain. He is young and new to military command structure. He forgets his place.'

Jack waved it off and looked at Cathen again. 'What does he mean? What have you been told?'

Cathen then nodded to the young one. 'Jathren studied as a cleric,' he said by way of explanation. 'It would be best if he answered your questions.'

'As it was foretold,' both Jathren and the other La-Ren chanted. The young La-Ren cleric looked up to Jack's eyes, then quickly looked down. A shudder ran through his whole body, making his scales rattle slightly.

'Forgive me, my Lord Captain,' he began. 'These are great and wondrous happenings for us; for all of our kind. We have been waiting for so long for them to come to pass. Many of our ancestors waited…and now…well, when Fleet Lieutenant Commander Cathen first encountered the Archangel and word reached the Holy Order, they commanded that once the signs were seen in the skies and confirmed, the Commander would have to return. It has been said since the dawn of our kind that a Celestial Triumvirate would arise, The Captain and His Two Archangels. They would bring order to the universe, like the Eternals of old, only these would choose delegates amongst the races of the universe to spread the news. The news that they are no longer alone – and peace; true inner and outer peace can be achieved if we bring hope to the hopeless, enlightenment to those permanently imprisoned in the dark, spread peace and prosperity all in the name of The Great One.'

'It has already begun on our world,' Cathen added. 'The raiders we fought last time we met are now our cousins. For us it has been several generations since the Archangel repaired my first command ship. The ship I have now is my seventh command – and her maiden voyage. She was built especially to make this trip – so that we could return and give thanks to you and the new Triumvirate. It was told a great cosmic event would herald their coming – and it has come to pass.'

'What cosmic event?' Mickey asked.

'A supernova near the Parvus Cluster that should have destroyed our world. But instead of collapsing into a black hole, it created three new suns,' Jathren answered, pulling up a 3D image from a hand-held device he had. 'The suns generate just enough heat and light to bring life forth from several of the moons within our system. Within a few decades we will have moons from which we can harvest food – and cultivate more cows and chickens.'

Mickey and Jack both started at that. 'How?' Jack asked. 'We gave you raw meat!'

'Cloning technology,' Cathen said smugly. 'Took a generation or two to perfect – but it was achieved. We are no longer a race of raiders – but of cloners and a hired policing force. Now, with these new ecosystems so close to our own…we will live…and prosper.'

Mickey immediately relayed the coordinates to Gwen and Martha and asked if they could verify the event. Martha confirmed it. Mickey swallowed thickly, his throat suddenly very dry.

When he and Martha arrived, Eva pulled him aside after the good doctor gave her a clean bill of health.

_She was wearing a thick knitted black wrap over her burgundy satin slip dress as she rose out of the Medical Bay. She was a vision…and Mickey was a red-blooded human heterosexual male. He couldn't help but stare._

'_Thank you for appreciation of my attire,' she began, smiling widely. Mickey immediately looked down._

'_Sorry,' he mumbled. 'Didn't mean it.'_

'_Yes, you did,' she said walking up to and seating herself next to him. 'Ianto and Jack do it all the time. But…uh, don't let them catch you doing it, yeah?' She finished, smiling. She then grew serious and put her hand on top of Mickey's. 'Yours has been a hard life, Mickey Smith. First your mother, then your grandmother…in both dimensions. Then Rose. But through it all you have remained steadfast and true to all of your friends. Even to my Captain. The way you and he verbally spar, one would think you do not like each other. But I know my Captain worries about you, always asks how you are getting on, and I, like he, am proud to call you Friend.' She squeezed his hand tenderly. 'Watch over him while Ianto and I are…indisposed. Many strange events and portents will occur within the next twenty-four hours – and others after Jack joins us. You must help to keep everyone calm so that we will have a world to return to. You must tell the Captain…to bring out the Old School Big Guns.'_

_Mickey gave her a quizzical look._

'_He'll know what I mean. Oh!' she exclaimed, pulling out a silver metallic capsule the size of a lipstick case from within her wrap. 'Tell him this is for Alistair,' she said handing the capsule to Mickey._

'Jack!' he called out suddenly, walking away from the SUV and to the Captain. 'Gwen and Martha confirm the event. Martha said there are now over five hundred Starliner class ships just outside delineated space and literally thousands of smaller ones. They are warp jumping in – at least ten to fifty an hour. They are trying to stay out of range, but there are so many at this point they are causing bounce-back imaging on a number of deep-space radar scopes. UNIT satellites are trying to limit the information that is being picked up here…but it doesn't look so good.'

Jack nodded his head. Everyone on Earth was still reeling from what the Daleks had done to their people and planet. Having open hearts and minds towards aliens was not exactly a priority for Earth governments at the moment.

'We better get back,' Jack said to Mickey, then turned to Cathen. 'Will you stay here or return to watch with the others?'

'Return to the others,' Cathen said quickly. 'We do not wish to cause harm by remaining here. But…may we keep contact?'

Jack nodded, holding his hand out to the alien. Cathen carefully wrapped his claw hand around Jack's. 'I need you to do something for me,' Jack continued.

'Ask and it shall be done,' Cathen replied.

'Go to the others and tell them to employ shields so that the long range satellites of this planet can not detect them. Get the smaller craft that do not have cloaking shields to get behind the Starliners so as to mask their signatures. They are scaring a lot of locals down here…everyone has to keep their heads.'

'Understood, My Lord Captain,' the alien answered. Jack held his hand firmly.

'When this is done, Cathen of La-Ren, you will be the First Delegate of The Triumvirate,' Jack said softly. 'It is good to see you alive and fit.'

'The same with you, my Lord Captain,' Cathen replied, a single tear escaping his eye. 'You will have me and mine for generations to come. You have brought me honor beyond measure. I will not fail you.'

Jack nodded again and began walking towards the SUV with Mickey. He suddenly turned around. 'Jathren!' he called out. The skittish alien stood straight and turned towards Jack.

'Yes, my Lord Captain?' he squeaked.

'Who gave your people these signs to look for?'

'Their name is lost to us,' the former cleric said, bowing his head. 'But they are the ones who created The Archangel and it was said they were the ones that taught the Lords of Time their crafts.'

Jack jogged back towards the young alien and scooped him up into a bear hug. Jathren almost fainted. He stayed standing only through a sheer force of will and the desire not to embarrass his own captain.

'Eva will like you,' Jack said, smiling. 'You will be our Historian. When this is over, you will return with Cathen, understood?'

The young cleric simply nodded, too shocked to speak. Jack turned back to Cathen. 'Good luck, our First Emissary,' Jack said, saluting the alien. The alien returned the salute as he marched with his two companions into nothing, disappearing into thin air. Jack and Mickey jogged back towards the SUV

'Martha said people are getting a bit …weirded out at UNIT,' Mickey began, turning to Jack as he was strapping himself into the passenger seat.

'Translation: UNIT is trying to see if they something big enough left to blow them out of space. They can't. Those aliens have violated no laws – as of yet,' Jack growled.

'Eva gave me this,' Mickey said, handing the silver cylinder to Jack. 'She said you would need to bring out The Old School Big Guns and that that was for Alistair.'

Jack sat back, slightly in shock, then nodded. 'We have to get back now,' he said, tapping on his Bluetooth. 'Martha?'

'Yes, Jack?'

'Call The Doctor. Tell him to drop whatever he is doing NOW. All those ships, Cathen and his people, they are waiting for Transition to complete. They…oh, Martha,' he sputtered, putting his hand over his eyes as the enormity of what was said finally hit him. 'They are treating this like the Intergalactic version of The Nativity, Martha. They said a star went supernova and _caused_ those three starbursts. Eva's creators were star designers…hell! That was what Omega did for the TimeLords! The King…both Kings knew!'

'They both Saw, Jack,' Gwen's voice said quietly. 'Just like Eva Saw for me…'

'Eva knew something was going to happen,' Mickey said quickly. 'She just asked that everyone keep a cool head until…it's all over.'

'Martha?'

'Yes, Jack?'

'Call UNIT. Tell them to enact BIG GUN Protocols. We'll be at the Hub in ten. Gwen, is Rhys making Lasagna?'

'Yes, Jack,' Gwen answered.

'Any chance he can bring us a few beers and nibbles? It's gonna be a long night.'

'No worries, Jack,' she answered. 'Ianto asked him to do the shopping. We're covered; just come home now.'

Jack keyed off his comm as Mickey put the SUV in gear and moved towards the motorway and the Plass. He looked to Jack. 'Eva also asked me to look after you,' he said suddenly. 'I'm not letting her down.'

Jack put his hand on Mickey's shoulder. 'Thanks,' he whispered as they sped back to the Hub.

24:00 Hours to Completion of Stage One of Transition

Countdown Begins….

_**3:00 Hours….**_

Rhys had made a chocolate frosted sheet cake for pudding, figuring there would be a lot of hungry people to feed. He even did a shopping run for the Hub as per Ianto's instructions….

'_I know Jack will forget. He will have a lot on his mind…so, here's the company credit card and a list. Thank you so much for watching over them while I'm…we're, well…gone,' Ianto finished. Rhys liked Ianto from the first time they had met. He trusted the young man's cool and calm demeanor; he likened him to the balancing point between Jack and Gwen. _

'_You watch over my Gwenie when you are all out there, now I get to help for a bit. And __**I**__ can get that coffee machine to work with me while I swear it works against everyone else but you,' Rhys joked. He then looked at Ianto with serious eyes. 'I'll get this all done, don't you worry. You and Eva…just come back with Jack. Don't leave my Gwenie to try and do this all on her own yet, yeah?' he said, holding onto Ianto's shoulder tenderly. Ianto smiled at him, and at that moment Rhys understood why Eva chose him. It was as if a true angel was gracing him with its presence._

'_We'll be back, Rhys,' Ianto whispered softly. 'Don't you believe otherwise.'_

Knowing that Ianto was the one Jack was all wrapped up in made it easier to deal with the handsome Captain being around his wife all the time. Even Eva cleared it up for him in that respect….

'_The Captain has an aura around him that few Kai can resist. However, Rhys Williams, she is truly yours.' Eva smiled then, giving Rhys a quick sideways glance. 'Your Lady has all of us that love her in our ways: Jack, as an ideal; Ianto, as a sister. Myself…as a mystery that I will never truly know. But you, my dear sir, are the lucky bastard that gets her home every night. Remember that!'_

He smiled as he finished putting away the shopping and popped the lasagna in the tabletop oven. Jack had taken the invisible lift up to collect a VIP guest from UNIT. As soon as the lift began its decent, Martha and Mickey immediately stood from their stations and walked towards the lift. Gwen followed as well. Rhys had finished in the kitchenette and came out, drying his hands on a tea towel.

Jack was beaming, laughing at something his guest had said as the lift finally touched down. The guest was an older gentleman dressed impeccably in a camel overcoat and three piece suit that Ianto could have picked out. His outfit was meticulous: leather gloves crisp and his black patent leather shoes that shone with the expertise only military experience could achieve. Although a little stooped and his hair completely silver, his presence commanded respect. Martha and Mickey stood at attention and saluted the gentleman. He waved them both down and Mickey reached over to help him down from the lift.

'Ah honor sir,' Mickey said respectfully.

'Pish, tosh young man,' the older man answered, clapping Mickey on his back warmly. 'Mickey Smith, the man who lived in two universes battling Cybermen and returned to defend us in The Battle of Canary Wharf. Then you returned again when the Daleks snatched the Earth away. You, sir, are a hero.'

'Here, here!' Gwen, Martha and Jack answered. The gentleman then looked to the others.

'Ah, Mrs. Williams, is it not?' Gwen nodded in reply as Rhys stepped over beside her. 'And your husband, Mr. Williams, I presume?' Again, Gwen nodded.

'Brigadier General Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, retired of UNIT. At your service,' he finished with a bow and a clicking of his heels. He then looked up to Martha and simply saluted her; then he opened his arms and Martha stepped into them, hugging him warmly.

'It is so **good** to see you, sir,' she said, emotion suddenly making her voice waver.

'At ease, Doctor Jones, Mister Smith,' Lethbridge-Stewart said comfortingly. 'I am here to liaise between UNIT and here and basically make sure everyone keeps level heads during this time of…change.'

'Transition,' Jack corrected.

'Yes,' Stewart said, a faraway look on his face. 'I remember your Archangels. Eva and Ianto. She arrived first; a bit after The Doctor left for good with Sarah Jane Smith. She had helped with tying up a few loose ends when the Welshman arrived.' At this, he actually stopped and sighed. 'There were times when I swore the pair of them were walking sex on legs. They were…beautiful beyond measure. Their actions were…breath-taking. They were perfection.' He then chuckled and turned to Jack. 'Thank God you didn't come with them. UNIT Command would have been wiped out by the three of you long before any alien invasion.'

'HEY!' Jack yelled out indignantly. The others simply laughed.

The General chuckled a bit more, then, clapping his hands together, proceeded to remove his gloves and overcoat. 'Right – your Archangel left something for me?'

Jack nodded, handing the General the gold cylinder. Stewart studied it intently for a moment, then twisted its base and set it down on Tosh's old desk. A beam of light shone out from the top of the cylinder and coalesced into a 3D image of Eva. She looked up to the General and saluted.

'_Forgive me for having Captain Harkness pull you out of retirement for this, my dear Brigadier General. Or should I say - Alistair.'_ The implications were not lost on anyone, Jack and the General simply smiled.

'_The years, I hope, have been kind to you and your men,'_ the 3D image continued. _Please send my regards to Mssrs Benson and Yates. For me, our meetings have not yet happened. But like The Doctor, I can see timelines: past, present, future as they intersect and divide…and I know UNIT's new leadership would need a more seasoned hand at the tiller. I could think of no one better than you, dearest Alistair. My Captain should be joining us in about two and a half hours._ The image then turned to Jack._ 'It has been a long day for you, my Lord. Contact Cathen and let him know of the new arrangements, then eat and relax. You will join us soon enough._ She then looked up at the others. _As for the rest of you…fifty-one hours from this point and it will be done. However,' _hereshe paused as a familiar groaning wheezing sound was heard; loose paper fluttered around the Hub as a gust of wind blew through. Jack, Martha, Mickey and Stewart all closed their eyes…they knew that sound too well. Everyone turned as a blue Police Box materialized next to Eva's capsule on the other side of the Hub. _'He has come,'_ the 3D Eva proclaimed. _'He does not understand, Alistair. He will take severe offense to this action – as he took offense to my Captain – as he took offense to me. Do not let him wound my Captain with his sharp and glib tongue. He speaks what he thinks is truth and this one truly likes to hear himself talk. Alistair – make sure __**you make him LISTEN!**__ He thinks that because his kind dealt with Time Vortexes and their machinations that it gives him the right to claim the title of TimeLord. Yet my creators taught HIS kind – and now me, my Captain and my soon Mate will have intimate knowledge his kind could only dream of. We live it – while he is merely a tourist.' The image then bowed and winked out._

_Everyone turned as the TARDIS doors flew open and a familiar blur of unruly brown hair, inquisitive eyes and unbridled energy stood before them. His long brown overcoat settled around his legs as he took in the people assembled before him._

'_Well, Lethbridge-Stewart, Martha, Mickey, Gwen…and Jack,' The Doctor said, smiling brightly. 'So…what was so important that I could not miss?'_

24:00 Hours to Completion of Stage One of Transition

Countdown Begins….

_**15 minutes….**_

'Have you ALL gone completely round the bend?!' The Doctor exclaimed again. Martha shushed him immediately.

'Doctor,' she said tightly. 'Eva said you'd be thick, but this is a new low for you.'

The Doctor harrumphed as took another forkful of lasagna. They had all gathered in the conference room to eat, drink and…discuss their next moves. Lethbridge-Stewart was coordinating UNIT Command, trying to soothe frayed nerves there while making sure Jack and The Doctor did not come to blows. He agreed wholeheartedly with Martha's assessment of the situation. The Doctor simply would not accept that just maybe this was a _good thing_ happening on Earth for a change.

Rhys, Gwen, Mickey and Martha simply ate in silence while, like the retired General, got in between Jack and The Doctor when the shouting became too much.

'Eva Tovar, First and Only of her Kind,' The Doctor said mockingly, reciting the title from memory.

'And that sentence and its' tone had better end right there,' Jack finished warningly.

The TimeLord looked at Jack with narrowed eyes. 'I knew…I KNEW when I saw you,' he said, pointing savagely at Jack. 'That SHE would find you. That was one of the many reasons I ran from you. One of you was horrifying to look at – but two?'

'Try three,' Jack growled. 'And there is nothing wrong with Eva! Say whatever you want about me…no! I take that back! There is nothing wrong with me – or Eva – or Ianto when this is all over. And I will not have you saying anything otherwise. We are going to be SOLID facts in the universe, Doctor. So get used to it!' He then stood from his chair and turned towards the sideboard, giving The Doctor his back.

'But what is wrong with them?' Rhys asked The Doctor; speaking the one question everyone else was dying to ask.

'They are permanently fixed points in time and space. Nothing is meant to be like that…nothing,' The Doctor answered.

'Except perhaps, for God,' Lethbridge-Stewart said softly. 'Doctor…the universe is not ordered to **your** specifications. For as long as you have lived – and for as many times you've scraped by only by the skin of your teeth, you still have difficulty believing in something bigger than…this?'

The Doctor then looked to Jack and the General and everyone else present. 'You are telling me you believe in her Creator?'

'I don't know what I believe in,' Martha answered softly. 'But right now there are literally thousands of ships gathering on the edge of our galaxy, just waiting. Starliners, freighters, warships, luxury liners, private craft – thousands. And not one has fired on another. Not one has attempted to get closer…they are simply here because of a prophecy told to them generations before that after a certain celestial event, a Triumvirate would be born that would help them. They're not out there to conquer…they're out there for hope. And stranger still, they're arriving here from different times as well. They will return to their own homes in space and time with this story…this hope. And if that hope is a Creator working in disguise…I'm ready and willing to believe.'

She stood and joined Jack at the sideboard, then turned towards The Doctor. 'It's time for Jack to get ready. Now, I wanted you here in case anything went wrong. But if you're just going to be a stick-in-the-mud, I suggest you pack it in right now and swan off to whatever it was you were knee-deep in before I called. I wanted you here because I thought you were Jack's friend. Please don't make me regret calling you, Doctor. Because so far, you have.'

The others then gathered their plates and started filing towards the bin at the door and up towards Eva's capsule. Lethbridge-Stewart looked at The Doctor as he too stood to go with the others.

'Come along, Doctor,' he said softly, putting a hand on the brooding TimeLord's shoulder. 'Time to let some prejudices go. Time to believe in something new for a change.' The Doctor looked up into the General's world weary eyes and saw what was missing from his own..._hope_.

24:00 Hours to Completion of Stage One of Transition

Countdown Begins….

_**0:00 Hours….**_

Jack stood in front of the bed looking down at the two most important beings in his universe. The both of them were covered in a white translucent carapace while they slept underneath them. He had changed into a pair of striped flannel pyjama bottoms earlier and then turned to look at everyone around him. Martha and Gwen stood at his sides. He, in turn, gripped their hands in his.

'It's like waiting for a firefight,' he whispered, his nerves making his voice wobble slightly. 'A World War Two pilot was asked once what was it like waiting for a fire fight. He said "It was hours of boredom followed by seconds of sheer terror." I feel that now,' he sighed nervously. He then looked down and then back up, tears at the corners of his eyes. 'For so long I thought it would be just me…forever. And now that I've been shown there's a possibility…a chance of change…I'm scared out of my mind!'

The lighting within the capsule changed from the soothing blues and purples to greens and reds, startling everyone as The Doctor whipped out his "brainy specs". 'Interesting,' he said softly.

'_TRANSITION STAGE ONE ENDS_,' a female computerized voice announced throughout the capsule. '_TRANSITION STAGE ONE ENDS.'_

The two Sleeping Angels rose from their places and separated, making space for Jack between them.

WE AWAIT YOU, they said, their voices merging, the male and the female, sounding without speaking.

'Ah, telepathy…cute,' The Doctor mused.

IT IS TIME, MY CAPTAIN. JOIN US, MY LORD. MY LOVE, Eva's voice said softly.

PLEASE JACK, Ianto's voice said just as softly. JOIN US…JOIN ME. FOREVER JACK. FOREVER MY LOVE.

FOREVER, Eva's voice echoed.

Jack let go of Martha and Gwen. 'Forever,' he whispered, climbing into the bed between them. Ianto curled into him on his right side, Eva onto his left. Eva's hand crossed over Jack's chest and joined with Ianto's from the other side. Jack's two hands crossed over theirs and the three joined. Jack laid his head back and gasped, his skin going white as his eyes closed. His own skin carapaced immediately and the three bodies almost seemed to merge into a cocoon as the familiar female computerized voice proclaimed:

'_STAGE TWO COMMENSING NOW. STAGE TWO COMPLETE IN SEVENTY-TWO HOURS. COUNTDOWN BEGINS.'_

_A/N: Wow – twenty pages on WORD! Man…this was long and hard…and all of you get your minds out of the gutter all ready! Thanks to everyone that's been reading this. I hope you guys have enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it – home stretch here…one more chapter and then an epilogue of sorts…_

_So next chapter: Jack, Ianto and Eva wake up to a new universe: one with a Celestial Triumvirate in it. Gwen still has growing pains as to where she fits in this new dynamic…Martha, Mickey, The Doc and Lethbridge-Stewart (Hey! Had to dig the old boy out of Mothballs for this!) make appearances._


	9. Chapter 9: Angels Rising

_AN: The usual: Torchwood: don't own it; none of the characters are mine EXCEPT Eva. She's all mine and I'm not making any money off of any of it. _

_**BIG BOO-BOO ALERT!**__ When Jack joined them it was supposed to be forty-eight hours – NOT seventy-two. Sorry about that…that's basically what happens when you're writing the last four pages and submitting the chapter at 6:45am while not having gone to bed yet…yeah. Insomnia is a killer! And so is Writer's Block! Sorry it has taken me forever to update. RL has been beating me like a Wall Street Stockbroker and finally I decided it's time TO PLAY!!!! So…._

_Summary: Ianto, Eva and Jack awaken to a new universe: one with a Triumvirate in it. Aliens across space and time have gathered for this – and Gwen is still trying to find her place in this new dynamic. Mickey, Martha, The Doc and Lethbridge-Stewart make appearances along with a few aliens…._

Torchwood: Archangel

Chapter Nine: Rising Angels – _A Celestial Triumvirate Is Born_

STAGE TWO IS COMPLETE.

TRANSITION IS COMPLETE.

STASIS IS LIFTED. THE TRIUMVIRATE IS BORN.

STAGE TWO IS COMPLETE.

TRANSITION IS COMPLETE.

STASIS IS LIFTED. THE TRIUMVIRATE IS BORN.

~~TWTWTW~~

The lighting within the capsule changed to its normal colors suddenly as the female computerized voice began chanting the same four sentences, awakening everyone from their uneasy slumbers. The past two days hadn't been pretty to say the least. There had been a rise in Weevil activity, but no attacks. Just sightings; especially around the Plass area. Gwen, Mickey and The Doctor figured out the cause of the disturbances rather quickly.

Eva's capsule had been emitting a low level pulse that affected the Weevils. All of the ones within the cells were unusually docile; simply purring and preening while looking up…towards the location where Eva's capsule was. The signal was being beamed out into space as well, where the thousands of ships now stationed just outside the Milky Way were still gathering as far as The Doctor and UNIT could tell. The Doctor still did not know what to make of what was going on. He still did not believe…Lethbridge-Stewart jokingly referred to him as 'their Doubting Thomas'.

Nine more alien races braved the storms within the Rift to make appearances bearing gifts for The Captain and His Archangels. Gwen, Mickey and occasionally Lethbridge-Stewart would meet these delegations, thank them for their gifts and then ask them to leave the planet. They would leave, bowing low and apologizing, not wanting to disturb or anger the Sleeping Angels.

Martha remained at the Hub, refusing to leave Eva's room or the bed where the Archangel, the Captain and the Archivist lay. But now….now they would awake…

~~TWTWTW~~

They awoke to a hum. As their collective and separate awareness took hold, they realized the hum was actually noises outside their cocoon. The man – _Ianto!_ - and woman – _Eva!_ - wrapped around the principal man – _Jack! -_ andpulled themselves closer. His hands, on top of both of theirs, gripped tighter. The noise was _annoying_…it was _different_…_it was to be ignored_. The hum, however, would not stop. It demanded their attention… _STASIS IS LIFTED. THE TRIUMVIRATE IS BORN. TIME TO __**AWAKE**__!_

The three opened their eyes as one as their PDT's synched. They _**were**_ _The Three…The Triumvirate…The Captain and His Archangels._ Jack turned slowly to his right and kissed Ianto on his forehead. He then turned to his left and did the same to Eva.

_WE MUST_, he began.

_RETURN_, Ianto and Eva answered.

Jack trailed his hand down Eva's arm, skimming down to her hip and thigh that had crossed over onto his leg. He smiled softly as emotion and feelings began seeping back into his consciousness. She was the reason they were here…like this. _And it will be like this…for eternity._ He smiled at that. His hand traveled up to the back of her head, cradling it as he kissed her lips softly, tenderly.

_EVA TOVAR, _he whispered into her mind. _MY FIRST ARCHANGEL. ARCHANGEL CHARON. ARISE AND TAKE YOUR PLACE BY MY SIDE._ He then turned to his other side. _Ianto…_ He kissed the young man passionately on his lips…desire coiled within his abdomen. He wanted him badly. There was no time now…but later… Yes, later he would have them both. They in turn would take him and give to each other.

_YES,_ they both whispered into his mind passionately. He chuckled. He _really_ needed to learn how to shut down the damn PDT…

_IANTO JONES_, he continued, kissing the young man on the lips again. _ARCHANGEL METATRON. ARISE AND TAKE YOUR PLACE BY MY SIDE._

The two on his sides looked over Jack's body, catching each others' eyes. The smiles on their faces were anything but innocent.

_AS YOU HAVE COMMANDED, SO IT WILL BE_, Ianto and Eva said as one.

Jack then wrapped his arms around Ianto and Eva and pulled them into his chest again. _MINE_, he said through their PDT's. Ianto and Eva both nodded.

Ianto took Eva's hand and put it on Jack's chest. He then covered with his own and looked to the pair. _MINE_, he intoned.

Eva shifted her hand out from under Ianto's and covered it while holding it to Jack's chest. _MINE_, she whispered.

'Forever,' the Three said as one. With their PDT's in synch again with the computer systems outside their cocoon, Eva deactivated the computer's audio message and sent it as a repeating message to the ships stationed out in space.

All Three then looked up at the carapace that surrounded them. It was still intact.

_WE MUST_, Jack began.

_BREAK_, Ianto continued.

_IT_, Eva finished.

Three fists connected with the top of the shell, making a resounding noise.

~~TWTWTW~~

The sudden deactivation of the audio message and _BANG!_ alerted those outside that they were awakening. Martha gasped and stood up from her post at the vanity table as Gwen, Rhys and Mickey rose from the sectional in the lounging area. The Doctor and Lethbridge-Stewart came in from the balcony.

'They're moving inside,' Martha said in explanation. Three fists from within made contact with the shell again, this time cracking it slightly as the _BANG _sounded again. The third time they hit the shell, three fists broke through.

'Jack?!' Gwen's panicked voice called out. 'Ianto?! Eva?!'

The three inside stopped moving and focused on the sounds from outside.

_WE KNOW_, Jack began, those gathered outside could hear the telepathic call.

_THAT_, Ianto continued.

_VOICE_, Eva finished.

_GWEN_, the Three said as one.

_SHE WILL HAVE A LONG LIFE_. _ONE_ _SO DIFFERENT FROM US; ONE WITH SO MANY POSSIBILITIES_, Jack said.

_SHE WILL HAVE MANY THAT WILL FOLLOW HER…MANY THAT WILL BE PROUD IN HER DECISIONS_, Ianto said._ MANY THAT WILL REJOICE IN HER AS THEIR LEADER._

_SHE WILL HAVE MANY CHILDREN AND A GOOD AND FAITHFUL HUSBAND. HALLS THAT WERE ONCE THOUGHT BARREN WILL RING WITH THE LAUGHTER OF THE YOUNG. SHE WILL PASS FROM THIS LIFE TO THE NEXT A HAPPY AND FULFILLED BEING_, Eva said.

Three fists connected with the shell again, making the holes bigger still.

'Jack!' The Doctor called out, his hand going to the edge of one of the holes.

_THE DOCTOR_, Jack said indifferently.

_THE UPSTART_, Ianto said angrily.

_THE TIMELORD; LAST OF HIS KIND_, Eva said sadly.

_HOW CAN YOU BOTH FORGIVE HIM SO EASILY?_ Ianto questioned angrily.

There was a pause. _IT WAS NOT EASY_, Jack and Eva answered together.

_BUT WE MUST TAKE THE HIGHER GROUND,_ Jack continued.

_FOR WE HAVE ETERNITY _AN_D HE DOES NOT. THE PAST IS PAST. IF WE DO NOT LEARN FROM IT AND THEN LET IT GO, IT IMPRISONS US FOREVER,_ Eva finished.

_I…AM STILL ANGRY…_ Ianto answered after a bit. _TIMELORD,_ he then said, addressing The Doctor. _I FORGIVE ONLY BECAUSE MY DEAR ONES ASK IT OF ME. YOU WRONGED THEM BEFORE…IN THE PAST. YOU ABANDONNED JACK WHEN HE NEEDED YOU MOST, YOU CALLED HIM __**WRONG**__. YOU SHUNNED EVA BECAUSE YOU COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WAS THAT YOU SAW; YOU WERE AFRAID. I FORGIVE YOU BECAUSE OF THE GREATER GOOD YOU HAVE DONE ON COUNTLESS WORLDS THROUGHOUT TIME AND SPACE. BUT WRONG EITHER OF THEM AGAIN – AND MY VENGEANCE WILL KNOW NO BOUNDS. THAT IS NOT A THREAT – __**IT IS A PROMISE**__._

_BY THE GREAT ONE, Eva's voice said softly. I BELIEVE I HAVE CREATED A MONSTER._

Jack snorted at that and once again three fists hit the shell.

~~TWTWTW~~

The Doctor's hand fell back from the shell as he stepped back. Hands within the shell pushed against it. It fell away with the sound of ripping papier maché as it tumbled to the floor. A mist then rolled away from those on the bed and skirted to the floor disappearing. It reminded Mickey of a scene from an old Hammer Horror film: Dracula and his two Immortal Brides curled in a coffin waiting for the sun to set and the moon to rise… He shook his head; he _really_ needed to get a life.

The Three sat up as one, reinforcing the horror aspect for Mickey, as they took in their surroundings looking at everything as if for the first time.

_THIS FEELS_, Jack began.

_SO DIFFERENT_, Ianto continued.

_AND YET NOT, _Eva finished.

_OUR SLEEP IS OVER_, Jack began.

_OUR TRANSITIONS ARE COMPLETE_, Ianto continued. The Three then looked up – towards space.

_OUR PRESENCE IS REQUIRED_, Jack began. _BOTH ON EARTH AND IN SPACE. IT IS HIGH TIME THAT WE GIVE THEM NEW DIRECTION._

_THAT WE HELP THEM FIND A NEW WAY_, Eva continued.

_THAT WE SHOW THEM THE WASTE AND ULTIMATE COST OF TRANSGRESSION_, Ianto finished.

'For the wages of sin,' the Three said as one.

'Is me,' Eva finished quietly.

The Three then took each others' hands and in a flash of light, stood at the foot of the bed. Ianto and Eva were wearing the armor of the Archangels while Jack was dressed in his RAF off duty attire, down to his waistcoat, fob chain and gun belt.

The Doctor held his hands up to them. 'You really shouldn't be going anywhere,' he began slowly. 'At least until we have checked you out,' he said, motioning to Martha, who crossed over to them.

'Please,' she said softly. Jack then looked to his Archangels – and their armor morphed into clothing: Ianto wearing his usual three piece black pinstripe suit with claret red silk shirt and accoutrements; a periwinkle flower in his lapel button. Eva was in robes of black and red knobby silk with a blue sash around her waist the color of Ianto's flower and Jack's shirt.

'You can never resist when someone says 'please', can you?' Ianto asked, his voice low and melodious. Jack simply closed his eyes and sighed contentedly.

'No,' he said. He then turned to Martha. 'Do what you will, Nightingale. But quickly, yes?'

Immediately, The Doctor and Martha went to work, examining the Three.

~~TWTWTW~~

Martha began scanning Ianto and was shocked at what she found. He…was no longer human. His DNA identified him as marginally Terran, but other than that…he was a cyborg. His bones were like Eva's – poly-bond carbonite. His organs were still organic, but capable of fast healing and repair due to nanogenes housed within his body; again, like Eva. She took his blood pressure and pulse and jumped slightly as Ianto touched her with his other hand.

'Is there something wrong, Martha Jones?' he asked. She looked up into his young face and realized that even though his visage had not changed – HE had the look and feel…of something _infinitely_ older. 'Martha Jones,' he called out softly. To her, his voice sounded and felt like thick brocaded velvet sliding across naked skin. The hairs on the back of her arms stood on end.

Now Martha understood Lethbridge-Stewart's previous statements. Looking at the Three of them, she could see how easily all of UNIT Command could fall under their thrall. But it was Ianto's voice: the slight lisp, the depth of its timber, the pronounced Welsh accent. His voice was truly foreplay without all the work. She had closed her eyes without realizing it – and now as she opened them, three sets of luminous, almost unearthly eyes stared back. On their faces, they each wore the same playful smirk.

'Quit it,' The Doctor said warningly. Jack and Eva turned to him, their smirks widening to smiles on their faces. Eva then turned to Martha.

'It is his voice. His designation is Metatron: The Voice of The Great One. His Word is Law. When The Great One wills it, whole civilizations will fall to ruin or prosper to the heavens just by the spoken word of the Metatron,' she explained softly.

The Three then looked up as one, then to Lethbridge-Stewart. He started slightly as he realized he was the sole focus of their attention at that moment.

'Brigadier General Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart,' Jack said formerly. 'How goes it?'

'How many ships are out there now?' Eva asked.

'And how are UNIT and the world governments dealing with all of this?' Ianto asked.

'Everyone is still a bit perturbed, but holding their own,' Stewart began as The Doctor finished his cursory exam of Eva. As he moved to Jack, both Eva and Ianto stepped in his way.

'MARTHA JONES, NOT YOU,' they said as one. The Doctor opened his mouth to make a scathing retort, but realized it was a lost proposition when he looked at their faces.

'Fine,' he muttered, stepping away.

'Nine more species came through the Rift bearing Gifts,' Gwen added, presenting the Three wrapped presents on a rolling cart. 'They've all been scanned. I think they know of Eva's fondness of Arcadian diamonds. Most of these are filled with them.' She pointed to cylinders on the cart. 'These are messages of greeting.'

Jack nodded and grabbed one cylinder, he then passed it to Ianto, who passed it to Eva, who then put back on the cart. They did this with all nine cylinders.

'We will meet with these first,' Jack said. 'They have the furthest to go home.'

'I sense potential within all except-,' Ianto began.

'The last…Brinn, they called themselves,' Eva finished. The Three then looked to each other and nodded.

'We are in agreement,' Jack said finally. 'One hundred years?'

'Agreed,' Eva and Ianto said together.

'They were sent back?' Jack asked Gwen. She and Lethbridge-Stewart nodded.

'There are thousands of ships out there. Hundreds of species…but we will not allow them to make planetfall on Earth. We will go to them,' Jack announced.

'There's no real need, Jack,' The Doctor began. 'Cathen of La-Ren has been keeping the peace out there and talking with me-.'

'All those out there have come to see The Triumvirate, Doctor,' Eva said, cutting him off. 'Not The TimeLord.'

'Cathen of La-Ren was named our 1st Delegate. We must make our presence known and reinforce that fact,' Jack continued. 'He is the first of many. They need our help. They require…us.'

'What about free choice?' The Doctor blurted out. The Three looked at The Doctor incredulously. He, in turn, looked to the others and found the same look on their faces.

'Did we trick them into coming, TimeLord?' Ianto asked. 'They've come of their own free will. They look for hope, Doctor. For something beyond cold metal and exact science. Dare I say it? Dare we express it? They come for new ideas; they come for deeper meanings. They come for food for the soul. They come for expressions that will change their ways of life…hopefully for the better. Change,' Ianto sighed deeply then. 'It is never easy. Sometimes it occurs as a whisper.'

'And other times, as a cataclysm,' Eva continued. 'Whether it happens immediately or takes a thousand generations. Whether it is set as an immutable concept or takes form as a million different religions, it doesn't matter. It is the planting of the idea…the telling of a Story. The belief that a better way of living can exist here…and in the hereafter. And when their toils in this Realm are done…that there is another one waiting.'

The Doctor snorted at that, then looked to Jack. Jack, in turn, simply gave the TimeLord a pitying look.

'What?' he asked, still looking at Jack. 'What?! You…you believe that claptrap?!'

'Yes,' Jack answered simply. 'Because this time many things were finally explained to me. I saw…and it was beautiful,' he sighed happily.

'What hope could you offer them?' Eva asked The Doctor softly.

'None,' Ianto said sharply. Eva put a steadying hand on his arm.

'Ianto,' she admonished softly. He put his hand over hers and looked deeply into her eyes. 'I love you as well,' she continued. She then turned to The Doctor.

'You go through the motions of living – but secretly you long for it to be over. You long to awaken to a universe where the TimeLords still live…where you will not be alone. You long for this mantle to pass to another – that will happen soon enough. Another visage, another personality will take hold…your last.' She sighed sadly, putting a comforting hand on the arm of his coat. 'Poor Gallifreyan. Poor Last of Your Kind.'

'Do not forget the Other,' Ianto said suddenly.

Eva's eyes brightened; then winked with mischief as she turned to her fellow Archangel. 'Where is she now?' she asked.

'Out there – with those gathered,' Ianto answered.

'What "Other"?' The Doctor screeched indignantly. 'She?!'

'Come with us,' Jack said as Martha was putting away her equipment. 'All of you,' he continued, looking to everyone present.

'Please,' Eva and Ianto asked as one.

Lethbridge-Stewart looked to them, a small smile on his face. 'I've always wanted to see the stars up close,' he said softly.

Martha and Mickey smiled and nodded.

Rhys, standing next to Gwen, pulled her close. 'You…you mean out there?' he asked, pointing up. The Three nodded. He put his hand protectively over Gwen's still flat belly.

'Nothing will happen to harm them, Rhys Williams,' the Three said as one.

'Or to you,' Jack continued.

'Safe as houses,' Eva and Ianto said as one.

Rhys then took Gwen's hand in his; the pair had silly grins plastered to their faces. 'Sure,' he said laughing. 'Imagine telling our son he made it out to space before he was even born!'

'Some nerves need to be soothed here first,' Jack said looking to Ianto. 'Metatron,' he intoned. Ianto stood straighter; he almost seemed to grow taller as he looked to Jack and Eva. 'UNIT first, then the other Torchwoods. Next, the U.N. and Prime Minister.' He turned to Eva. 'Charon – accompany him.'

'My Lord Captain,' she answered, then walked to Ianto and took his hand. He looked down to her and smiled. She reached up with her other hand and tenderly caressed his cheek.

'What are you - ?' The Doctor began.

Eva held up her pointer finger. 'Just hold that thought,' she said – and in a blinding flash she and Ianto vanished.

'Where did they go?' asked The Doctor, looking to Jack.

'Like I said,' Jack answered, speaking to The Doctor as if he was speaking to a child. 'They went to soothe frayed nerves.' He looked to Lethbridge-Stewart, who in turn straightened his back and saluted Jack.

'Good to have you back, Captain Harkness,' he said with a hint of a smile.

'So,' said Mickey. 'What was that whole "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" cocoon thing?'

'Ianto needed to be protected as his DNA was being re-written. Eva was being broken down at the molecular level and recreated as well. As for me…,' he smiled, then closed his eyes and in a flash vanished – and reappeared next to Lethbridge-Stewart. 'I was given better control over the vortex energy within me. I can see…time. Not as you, Doctor. Nor as Eva and Ianto; but now I understand it a little better. And…I am finally content.' He turned to The Doctor. 'Really…I am,' he put his hand on the TimeLord's shoulder. 'Let it go,' he whispered. 'I see it. A tiny ember in your darkness. Blow on it…softly. Let it spark, Doctor. Trust me…just believe.'

The Doctor reached up and put his hand over Jack's on his shoulder. 'I…,' he took a deep breath and squeezed Jack's hand. 'I'm trying.'

'Better than not,' Jack said softly, squeezing the TimeLord's shoulder. 'Right,' he said, turning to the others and clapping his hands together. 'Breakfast in the Main Library. Ianto and Eva will be famished when they get back.' He clapped his hands twice and in a blinding flash everyone was standing in the library. Jack started laughing at everyone's reactions, until he saw The Doctor's.

'Okay…so I showed off a bit there,' he said sniffing in mock hurt as he walked over to the food laddered sideboard.

Another flash and Ianto and Eva appeared before them. They both bowed to Jack.

'It is-,' Ianto began.

'Complete,' Eva finished.

'Well done,' Jack said, then pointed to the food. 'Tuck in. I'll get us started.'

'Perfect,' Eva and Ianto answered.

'I don't know if I can get used to that,' Gwen muttered. Jack smiled as he looked to her.

'There are many advantages,' he said softly. He then noted the look of horror on her face. 'Not THAT!' he said quickly, then his eyes took on a faraway look. 'Later,' he muttered to himself. Eva and Ianto smiled behind the sandwiches they were eating. AGREED, they said to him telepathically.

'In battle where one thought-,' Jack began.

'Begins, another continues,' Ianto continued.

'Until its' completion,' Eva added. She then turned to Gwen. 'We think faster then most organic beings. Even-,'

'Faster then most computers,' Ianto said, completing the sentence.

'But you do understand how disconcerting it is,' Lethbridge-Stewart said, looking to the Three.

'And yet you have networked computers that do the same thing all the time,' Jack replied.

'But to see a human do it-,' The Doctor began.

'We are not human,' Jack answered, cutting him off.

'Human looking enough,' The Doctor continued.

The Three nodded. 'We understand, but we cannot help it. It is the way we are now,' they said in unison.

'Think,' Jack began.

'Of us,' Ianto continued.

'As triplets,' Eva finished, smiling her saucy little smirk.

The Doctor, Lethbridge-Stewart and Gwen looked to each other, then at the Three and simply laughed.

After ten minutes of silence Jack looked to his Archangels. They had finished their sandwiches and were waiting for instructions.

'Cathen first,' Jack said suddenly. Ianto nodded and turning, waved his hand to the back wall. A holographic screen popped up and showed the thousands of ships on the edge of The Milky Way.

'What transport?' Jack asked. Eva tapped her finger to her cheek and snapped her fingers. She flashed away and returned with a black sleek model Starliner with wide bridge windows for easy viewing in her hands. Jack's eyes lit up as he took in its shape and streamlined design. 'Nexainian?' he asked. Eva nodded. 'You know its capabilities better than I, Archangel. If you approve, then I bow to your wisdom.' Ianto looked at it as well.

'Perfect choice,' he said softly. The others crowded around it until its engines flared to life.

'Is it a toy?' Rhys asked in wonder.

'No,' answered The Doctor. 'It is compressed.'

'What?' Rhys choked out.

'It is a starship that has been compressed,' Eva answered, pointing to black locking clamps on both sides of the ship's hull. 'Do not think that my people only had the technology to put big spaces inside little ones,' she finished, motioning to where they stood. She then removed the black clamps from its sides. In a flash the ship vanished and the library shook slightly.

'Your command awaits, Captain,' Ianto said, motioning to the doors of the capsule. Jack smiled.

'Charon – navigation and weapons. Metatron – communications and transmat.' He then turned to the Brigadier. 'Follow me, sir,' he said as they all walked towards the capsule's doors. 'Welcome aboard _**The Oberon**_,' he continued as he opened them. Even The Doctor whistled appreciatively as he whipped on his brainy specs to take a better look around.

'Nice, Captain,' he murmured. 'Better than that Toolian ship I got you from so long ago.' Jack and he smiled at the memory.

Bots scurried around the bridge, flashing e-reports to Jack, Ianto and Eva as they accommodated themselves in the three main seats of the bridge: two stations below the main seat in the center of the room; the Captain's. The entire ship was controlled from these three stations while the rest of the stations were simply observation posts set in front of large windows open to space.

'It is a pleasure cruiser – that is armed to the teeth,' The Doctor said aloud, suddenly recognizing the design. 'The Nexainians really knew how to fly in style. Beautiful.'

Bot waved the others into seats that gave them spectacular views of the Earth below. Rhys, Gwen and Lethbridge-Stewart watched as lights on the dark side of Earth winked out at the approach of sunlight crossing the planet.

'So…tiny,' Rhys said softly.

'So precious,' Eva mused aloud from her station. The bots then brought everyone food, fruit and drink, which Eva, Ianto and Jack tucked into almost immediately.

'Not too fast!' The Doctor said quickly, grabbing a banana from Eva's tray. 'You've been without food or drink for a while now. That bit you ate before should have been enough. Your stomachs may have shrunk during your transition, so sip your drinks _slowly_. Because Immortal beings or not, the lot of you will get sick,' he continued, pointing the banana at the Three. The Three smiled at The Doctor, then each other.

'We appreciate your concern, Doctor,' they answered in unison. 'We will heed your advice.'

'Well…see that you do,' the TimeLord nodded as he began stripping the banana of its skin and popped a piece into his mouth.

'All systems are functional and on-line, my Captain,' Eva said suddenly. 'Destination has been locked into NAVCOM – you need only to give the word, my Lord.'

Both Jack and Ianto closed their eyes at her words. Her voice didn't have the power of The Metatron, but its' undercurrents laden with promise was felt by both men.

'The word is given, Eva Tovar,' Jack said softly.

~~TWTWTW~~

The Three stepped back and simply observed from their stations. Rhys, Gwen and Lethbridge-Stewart were mesmerized by the stars streaking by as they raced towards the edge of the Milky Way, beyond the reach of even UNIT's deep space probes.

And then, in the dark edge of space, just a little to the left of the last star of the Way – there they were. Thousands upon thousands of ships. Every size, every shape, every class and every condition imaginable. Their lights were so many that they appeared as a star system of their own. Pleasure cruisers with their observation decks _teaming_ with _**LIFE**_; different species all peering out through their windows or racing to monitors, for they knew these newcomers were the _**ONES**_ they were waiting for.

**The Oberon**'s bridge was silent until Jack heard a silent snuffle coming from Eva. He slipped out of his chair and knelt in front of her, encircling her with his arms.

'It…it is done. From here is where it continues…it goes on,' she whispered, a sad beautiful smile on her face. 'Billions of eons from now this will be remembered. That this crazy notion of true intergalactic – interspiritual peace – started here. In His name, by little beings like us,' she finished.

Ianto, sitting next to them put one hand on Jack's back, the other in Eva's open hand. 'Time for work,' he said softly, his voice touching the deepest parts of their souls, filling all present with a quiet peace.

'Really have to learn how to do that,' The Doctor mumbled. Could really solve A LOT of problems.'

Ianto smiled at him as he stood and addressed the teaming masses via the networked signal. 'You have all come from many places, planets, times and distances to be here. You have all come for so many reasons; for so many things. We simply have a Story to tell – an Idea to impart. What you do with this information is totally up to you. But it is our hope…our desire…that this gathering brings both physical and spiritual peace.'

Ianto then took his seat and began telling The Story. One of revenge and war. Of ultimate sacrifice, of sadness and heartbreak. Of death and rebirth and, at the end of all things, of joy, love and benevolent peace.

A dry eye or optic duct was hard to find on any of the ships. Then the Captain called the Representatives that travelled through the Rift to get to the gathering. They were named Delegates, but Cathen of La-Ren was named 1st Delegate and Jathren of La-Ren was named 1st Historian. His task was to document the works – good and evil – committed by all species present after the telling of The Story.

Jack was right – Eva did love the skittish La-Ren. Then, the last to come through the Rift were presented before the Three. Immediately it was made apparent why the Three had severe reservations when it came to these representatives. Their race was called Brinn. They were humanoid, moss green in skin tone, muscular builds with deep blue eyes and golden hair.

Their First Representative stated his name was Xalka The Valorous. He then began waxing lyrical concerning _his own_ feats, _his _conquests, how many enemies _he_ killed, how many possessions _he_ had –

Jack suddenly raised his hand and the Brinn Representative fell silent, smirking as he stroked his golden goatee.

'We,' Jack began. 'Have only heard of -.'

'_Your_ victories in war, the number of enemies _you_ killed-,'Ianto continued.

'The amounts of spoils _you_ have acquired,' finished Eva.

'But…what of your people? Your planet?' Jack asked.

'Have they benefited from your gains?' asked Ianto.

'Or have they suffered as your enemies?' asked Eva.

'Your people live in a serf system. Those that live within your domain…are they given a choice to join your army or are they indentured into service once they come of age?' asked Jack.

'You…who would make slaves of _your own kin_ – your own kind! And you _DARE_ to ask things of** us**?! Ianto growled, his voice growing in volume until the Brinn had taken two steps back. Ianto then stood, Jack and Eva followed suit.

'You are still too young, too filled with anger and avarice to understand the Gifts we offer-,' Jack began.

'And you would share them with those from the planet which you have come from?' Xalka asked incredulously.

'**No**,' the Three intoned as one. '**They are not ready either**.' The Brinn backed down immediately.

'As I was saying,' Jack began anew. 'You are not ready. When 100 of your years have passed, we will visit your planet to see if you have changed…if you have grown. Until then,' the gifts they brought for the Three appeared in Xalka's hands. 'We can not accept your gifts. We have nothing to offer you in return at this time. You are just not ready. You are free to go.'

Xalka The Valorous looked down at the gifts in his hands, then back up at the Three. 'You…you are rejecting us?!' he asked, simply not believing. 'We…we can be the most powerful army you could ever have at your disposal!'

'And why would we need an army?' asked Eva quietly.

'I am sorry, Xalka,' Jack said softly. 'But yes, we are rejecting you at this time.' There was no hesitation in his voice.

The Brinn looked up at the Three , his face a mask of sudden, pure hatred as he threw the gifts back at them, aiming specifically for Jack. As the small boxes flew in the air, Xalka pulled a laser gun from his hip holster and aimed it at Jack.

In a blur of black and red silk, the boxes appeared in one of Eva's hands while a samurai sword was in the other held at the Brinn's neck.

"your word, my Lord Captain,' Eva said to Jack never taking her eyes off the alien or his entourage. 'Drop the weapon, Valorous Swine,' she growled. The gun clattered to the deck. A clean-bot swept by suddenly, taking the weapon with it. Jack then sat down in his chair and waved his hand at Ianto.

'Metatron,' he said softly. 'At your discretion.'

Ianto nodded and from his station flashed next to Eva. The other Brinn delegates put their weapons on the floor and stepped back, their hands up and heads bowed in supplication. Eva handed the gifts to Ianto, who in turn returned them to the other Brinn gathered. Ianto stepped towards Xalka while Eva removed her sword and stepped back.

'You have too much pride, Xalka The Valorous,' he said softly, his VOICE gaining power. All present felt it…hairs and scales on the backs of everyone's necks stood up. 'You…personally MUST learn _**humility**_,' Ianto continued. 'We give your kind 100 of your years to change your ways. When we come…and if there is no change…if there are any worthy of salvation…they will leave with us. Those found unworthy…of not changing…we will be _**very displeased**_.' The tension the others present felt vanished, but the Brinn all collapsed to their knees, clawing their skin and hair.

'Forgive,' one of the entourage mumbled mournfully.

'_Ask your people's forgiveness first_,' Ianto growled. '_**One hundred years**_.' He then took Xalka by the throat and lifted him into the air. 'Threaten one of my kind again and you and your species will cease to exist. _**Humility. LEARN IT!**_'

'As you have said, Metatron. So mote it be,' Eva said softly, the sword in her hand glimmering brightly. 'The Voice of the Great One has spoken. One hundred years. Fail in your task – and I will be your Angel of Death.'

Eva and Ianto looked to each other, then to the Brinn. '**BE GONE**,' they both said in unison, their left arms making a sweeping motion – and the Brinn vanished.

~~TWTWTW~~

The Doctor looked to Martha Jones after the incident with the Brinn. He felt awful about the way he had behaved when he first arrived. This new idea terrified him! Not just Jack – but now THREE of them! Constant, fixed points in all of space and time! But, as the TimeLord continued to look at them, he realized the universe wasn't fighting them…if anything, _it was totally at peace with them!_ Now wasn't that a kick! He then felt it…the…_emptiness_ within him…just float away. That ember that Jack saw within him suddenly flared to life. He looked to Martha again…sweet, loving, brave Martha…and he felt his hearts expand. She suddenly turned to him, her dark eyes open and expressive as ever…

'Before my adventures with you…when I lost Rose. Then The Year That Never Was…before all of that, I never would have been as forgiving as they. You changed me for the better, Martha Jones. I am proud, no. I am Honored to call you my friend. Thank you for calling me here…,' he said softly.

Martha, her eyes suddenly bright, stepped over and bear-hugged The Doctor.

'Donna…she said you were a good influence on me. I honestly have to agree,' he murmured, relishing the hug. 'Of course, she also said you had to be mad to fancy me-,'he continued. Martha hit him playfully.

~~TWTWTW~~

Lethbridge-Stewart stood looking out the large observation windows to the thousands of ships still out there, then to all of the aliens that kept transmatting in and out. The Captain and His Archangels dealing with all of them while Jathren transcribed furiously. Cathen smirked at his junior officer as he sidled over to the retired Brigadier General.

'UNIT?' Cathen asked. Lethbridge-Stewart simply nodded. Cathen smiled and motioned towards his junior officer. 'His father was a great warrior. He took peace time rather hard until his mate gave him a male heir. For a while he had felt that the Great One had forsaken him by giving him a son more at home with books, learning and history then weapons and combat strategies. But now…now I think the Old Warrior will be proud of his Heir. All of his son's progeny will be Historians…Intergalactic Historians. Capable warriors with proper educations…they will change the face of our people once again.'

Lethbridge-Stewart put a hand on Cathen's scaled shoulder. "Is it not wonderful that we have lived to see such times? To see the before and the glimmer of hope that will be the future?' he asked.

Cathen nodded, smiling his too toothy grin. 'Praise be to The Great One. Who gave so much so that we, mere beings that we are, can believe.'

~~TWTWTW~~

Mickey watched the species that transmatted in and out, he watched as Jack, Ianto and Eva dealt with them…he then felt a warmth slide down his back and looked to see Eva looking at him.

_DEAR MOUSE_, she said softly into his mind. _SO WILLING TO TAKE ON THE UNIVERSE'S ENEMIES_ –

'To protect your home and those you love,' she finished, sitting beside him. Mickey blinked, looking up to see her seated with Ianto at her side and Jack above her.

'How?' he began, then stopped. 'Temporal distortion. Amazing,' he breathed, realizing that the others had slowed down a bit and he could hear no sound.

'A bit scary, though. Ain't it?' she quipped. Mickey laughed, then took her hand and held it in both of his.

'Thank you,' he said softly, curling his hands around her smaller one.

'For?'

'For bringing me here. For allowing me to see another facet of aliens in space, that not all of them are out to enslave us, or exterminate us, or are just looking for spare body parts. But a lot of them are just like me…looking for the way to be happy with themselves and others in the end.

Eva blushed prettily as she wrapped her other hand around both of his. 'You are welcome,' she whispered, then vanished.

Sound suddenly returned and Mickey looked up to see Eva smiling back at him while she sat with Ianto and Jack.

'Thank you so much,' he whispered.

~~TWTWTW~~

Gwen sat next Rhys watching the myriad of species that were granted audiences with the Three. She looked out to the ships surrounding them and noticed that their numbers were dwindling as well. _They are all going home_, she mused to herself. She looked back to the Three. _Do I have a home with them, I wonder_, she asked herself. _How do I fit in with them now? They…they aren't even human now. They need me…more than ever. To show them the human side of things…to help them not forget._

She then turned to Rhys again and watched the wonder of what was happening play across his face. She smiled at her big lug of a man. Less than a year ago, he wouldn't have believed a single syllable of this…and now they were _light years_ from Earth and he taking it like a champ. She looked back to the Three.

Jack…she still loved him…very much. But not the lustful yearning she most certainly had when they first began. When he returned after what Gray and John had done to him (she still wasn't sure John was to be trusted) she wanted to protect him as much as he tried to protect her.

Ianto…her strong Welsh Countryman. So broken after Lisa…and when Jack ran off after his Doctor…and most recently with the deaths of Tosh and Owen…and yet. Now he stood proud, tall…and that beautiful accent of his. She always wondered how different his life would have been if he had taken up singing instead of Torchwood. Tosh had convinced the team to do Karaoke nights at a few of the pubs near the Quay. Ianto had been quite a favorite…she smiled at that memory.

Eva…the lynchpin to all of this. The one without which none of what was happening would have ever happened. The lost fallen angel…the castle guard without a Lord to protect. She had changed so much from the shy creature that could kill and be killed without remorse or compunction. She had told Gwen so much…so many things. More children down the line…a Council Position…then Lord Mayor. One day, a Cabinet Post…and then beyond. _Who knows…maybe Prime Minister!_ She chuckled at that thought. As she sat with the other two, Gwen could not help but notice how the Three just seemed to _fit_. The universe would never be the same…Lucky universe!

With a Cabinet Post she could make sure Jack stayed in control of Torchwood – and that Torchwood London answered to him – not the other way around. She could then get Ianto some help – Lord knew he needed it! Even with Eva helping him sort through all the tat that was in the Hub's bowels, they needed more man power if they hoped to have it done within her lifetime! Poor Ianto…seeing to everyone else's needs before his own. She then looked back to her husband. _HUSBAND_, the word _hummed_ in her mind. She reached out to him and he took her hand without hesitation, smiling broadly at her.

'By the time our great-great grandchildren are in primary school, this will be commonplace,' he said softly. He then brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles tenderly. 'Thank you. Thank you for giving me the beginning to a terrifying, maddening wonderful life, Gwen Elisabeth Williams. You will go forward – and I will be pleased as punch to be The Power behind your throne.'

Gwen leaned over and kissed Rhys…her husband, her mate, her _**everything**_ tenderly on his lips.

~~TWTWTW~~

The Three had finished with their last audience and were now simply basking in the emotions coming from Gwen and Rhys.

'As he said, sealed with a kiss,' Eva said softly, so only they could hear.

'So mote it be – from now 'til eternity,' the Three intoned.

~~TWTWTW~~

'We are done for now,' Jack announced.

'Time to go home,' Ianto continued.

'But we will return at a more leisurely pace,' Eva finished.

'We would like for you to enjoy all your own galaxy has to offer,' Jack continued as Eva programmed in their return journey.

Gwen, Rhys, Mickey, Martha, The Doctor and Lethbridge-Stewart all gathered at the windows as they watched the last of the ships wink out as their star drives engaged. Cathen and Jathren remained on board as their ship followed. They would use the Rift to return home once they were in range of Earth. Jack, Ianto and Eva would point out interesting anomalies as they streaked past, as would Cathen and Jathren. The Doctor also added tid-bits of information, or stopped the others from saying too much.

'Spoilers,' he would say cryptically as he nibbled on cheese squares from the trays the clean-bots kept passing around.

Gwen's eyes suddenly filled with tears as she gripped Rhys' hand. 'Bloody hormones,' she quipped as Ianto, ever the gentleman, handed her a handkerchief.

'Thinking of Tosh and Owen?' he asked softly. Gwen simply nodded. 'They know,' he continued. 'And they send their love.' He squeezed her shoulder as he accommodated himself next to Jack on a small settee, putting his head on Jack's shoulder. Eva stood behind them as she laid her hand on Jack's shoulder and Ianto's head. The Three sighed contentedly.

'So,' The Doctor said, breaking the comfortable silence that descended upon everyone. 'What's next?'

Jack looked to Ianto and Eva, then to everyone present. 'Well, quoting from an old song, "The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades",' Jack answered, earning a few chuckles and smiles from everyone.

A bot appeared with two open bottles of champagne and several crystal flute glasses.

'Ah,' mused The Doctor. 'Leave it to the Nexainians to have a ship armed with anti-proton weapons and perfectly chilled champagne.' He picked up one bottle and read the label. 'Ooo. Vexa-4. Good year too.'

Eva accepted the bottle back from the TimeLord, pouring the golden liquid into all the glasses until everyone – the La-Ren included – had one.

'A toast,' she said, raising her glass. 'To the Past, the Present – and the Future.'

~~TWTWTWTW~~

AN: OMG!!!! 21 pages in WORD! I have beaten the Writer's Block!!!! (Doing a Nerdy Techno Dance in the corner) I am so happy this chapter is finally. The next is the last B's and G's – so thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you that stuck it out. To my Aussies and my Kiwis – thanks ever so much for reading MY stuff! Next up – the Epilogue: Chapter 10: Angels – Past, Present, Future – and Distant Future.

Past – Eva visits her King one last time.

Present – Ianto thinks of those who have passed as Gwen is sworn in as PM. Future – Jack – aka The Face of Boe. Eva and Ianto collect their beloved after 'Gridlock".

Distant Future – The End of All Things….

Hope to have it up in a few days…school starts for me on the 13th…argh!


	10. Chapter 10: Epilogue

_AN: The usual: Torchwood: don't own it; none of the characters are mine EXCEPT Eva. She's all mine and I'm not making any money off of any of it. _

_Well, everyone…this is it!!! My first Big Butt Story is FINISHED! Thank you to ALL OF YOU that stuck it out to the bitter end. To all of you that jumped every time when I posted a new chapter – you have no idea how my heart just did flips! And to my Brits, the ones that created a great guy (RTD) to make such a wonderful character (Captain Jack) and a fabulous series (Torchwood) that became food for thought for us Fan Fiction writers. Thanks also to those that are physically so far away, but with the help of the Internet, find my little stories…so readers in Australia, New Zealand, China, The Netherlands, India, Slovenia, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Malaysia, Mauritius, Finland, to name a few …thank you so much! To all of you that left reviews, thank you for your comments and your praise…really helps when the Writer's Block has the texture and resiliency of cinderblock. And so…_

_Summary: The_ _Past, Present, Future – and Distant Future. _

_**Past**__ – Eva visits her King one last time._

_**Present**__ – Ianto thinks of those who have passed as Gwen is sworn in as PM. _

_**Future**__ – Jack – aka The Face of Boe. Eva and Ianto collect their beloved after 'Gridlock". _

_**Distant Future**__ – The End of All Things…._

**Torchwood: Archangel**

**Chapter 10: Angels – Past, Present, Future…and Distant Future**

_**Past – Eva **_

_I, Jathren of La-Ren, First Historian to The Captain and His Archangels, write these last lines as I am ready to pass this mantle of Historian To The Eternals to my First Born, Bathren. For one hundred and fifty years I have served The Three: Captain Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones aka The Metatron and Eva Tovar aka Charon. I have considered every day in their service a blessing direct from The Great One Himself. I, my mate and my many offspring are well and content._

_But I digress…the reason for this entry is an extraordinary find Bathren has made while at the ruins of Nexain. He has sent vids – I am SO PROUD that his name will forever be tied to this discovery!_

_Before it was understood that the First Archangel, designated Charon and later named Eva Tovar, never went back to her own people's time. Time Paradoxes and such was the reason given. But Bathren's new evidence shows this to be false! I could barely contain my excitement when I presented my son's initial findings to the Three and The Doctor. The TimeLord and The Captain both had words with Charon – I believe she will make the attempt. The data Bathren uncovered said Eva Tovar, Archangel of Torchwood, appeared at the deathbed of her Prince, later The Great King Keln Tovar. She is never mentioned by name, but the word 'Torchwood' is written, as well as references to 'His Majesty's Dearest', 'The First' and 'The Great One's Eternal Servant'…._

~~TWTWTW~~

The Great Hall of The House of Tovar was deserted when a pinprick of light grew until a figure dressed in black and red knobby silk robes appeared. Its cowl was over its head and a blue periwinkle sash held its robes in place. The figure looked around the great entry way as it marched towards the Royal Quarters, feeling the sorrow that permeated the place. A great man was passing…and the whole planet was in mourning.

Many were gathered outside the entry way to the main chamber – The King's Bedroom. The figure walked determinedly towards the great double doors, guarded by two of The King's Personal Detail. They crossed their spears in front of the doors and looked at the interloper.

'The Family alone has access,' The Captain of the Guard stated, then studied how the figure was dressed. 'There is a Priest in there with them already,' he added.

'I _**AM**_ Family,' a female voice growled from under the cowl as she pushed it from her head. 'I am Archangel Eva Tovar of Torchwood – and I am here to see my King.' A loud, general gasp escaped those present in the outer chamber.

The two men instantly recognized the Archangel from the statue in front of The Great Hall of Learning they both had graduated from as boys. A thousand years later and renditions of the statue in miniature and holos of her visage could be bought every Celebration Day. They removed their spears as the silent guard opened the door.

'My Lady,' The Captain stammered. 'Princess Eva said you would come. She has been waiting for you…they all have, even the Majesties.' Eva simply nodded as she hesitantly entered a room she had never seen before this moment.

As the door closed, ten anxious faces looked up from their places around the room to see the newcomer. Queen Isabella let out a sob as she rose from her seat and engulfed the Archangel in a bear hug. Princesses Eva and Naiven followed suit – and the poor Archangel was overwhelmed for a few moments as she comforted the women.

'I am here, my Ladies,' she cooed gently. 'I am home, my Queen and Princesses.'

The Queen pulled back and kissed Eva on her forehead. 'But not for long. Praise be to The Great One for the time He has allowed you to be with us now,' she whispered, looking behind Eva towards the curtained area of the room. Beyond that the King lay. 'He has been asking for you every time he awakes.' The Queen then pulled Princess Eva into an impulsive hug. 'She kept saying you would find a way to come. I just…I didn't think…I didn't think you would be here in time,' she mumbled into the Archangel's hair.

'I had help,' Tovar said softly. 'My Lord Captain and the TimeLord found a way for me to be here…when I would be needed most,' she finished, putting a calming hand on the Queen's shoulder. She then gathered the Princesses Eva and Naiven to her, kissing them tenderly on their temples and foreheads. She then walked to the curtains, and, pulling them back found a bed similar to her own where her Prince of old lay quietly. The Princes Castor and Troy; tall, beautiful men, nearly tumbled over themselves in their rush to greet the Archangel.

'You came,' Castor breathed, holding her close.

'Eva said…Father has been waiting,' Troy finished. The Archangel held them the same way she held the Princesses and Queen.

'It is good to see you again, Great One's Eternal Servant,' the men said as one.

'Archangel,' a soft but commanding voice called from the bed. Eva released the Princes and walked to the side of the bed, grasping the frail hand held out to her.

'My Lord,' she said softly. Prince Castor returned with a chair for Eva and departed silently. She sat, looking into her King's expectant eyes.

'How long has it been for you, Dear One?' he asked.

'One Hundred and fifty years, my Lord,' she answered evenly. 'All of Torchwood is run from Cardiff now under the supervision of The Captain and His Archangels.'

'Ianto Jones?' he asked. Eva nodded. 'You chose well, Dear One,' he continued. 'And he and The Captain watch over you?'

'As we watch over each other, my King,' she answered.

'What of the others? Lord and Lady Williams? Mr. Mickey Smith? Ms. Martha Jones? Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart and The Doctor?'

'They were all true Kai, my Lord. The only one not to pass is the TimeLord…and he is more than content.'

'Ah…he found The Other,' Keln said, smiling softly.

'Yes, my Liege. He did.'

Once **The Oberon** was shrunk back down and everyone was in the Hub on Earth, Eva took The Doctor aside and told him where he could meet another of his kind. The female clone that he thought lost. She had a husband…and a daughter that she had named Susan. She told him that they had been present during The Gathering, as UNIT had code-worded the event, but she had wanted to get home to her husband and child and so could not meet them. A single tear escaped The Doctor's eye as he then grabbed The Archangel and spun her around, shocking the rest of the group into silence. _I'm off to visit family_! he yelled as he ran to the TARDIS, throwing his long coat behind him. They saw him often after that. And little Susan…

'They may be gone – but never forgotten. Their offspring know of us – and many work for us. Those that don't do a quick call-to-arms when the Earth is in trouble. You would be surprised how much danger such a small planet can find itself in,' Eva explained. Keln Tovar chuckled, but then the chuckle turned into a coughing fit that didn't stop until Eva lifted him up into a sitting position.

'Tell me more, Eva,' he said softly once she had accommodated him on the pillows anew.

'Martha Jones married her fiancé, Tom Milligan, and they became Doctor and Doctor Milligan. He became a pediatric physician for UNIT while Martha retained her position of Chief Medical Officer; kept it for more than forty years. They had three children: one son and two daughters. Mr. Mickey Smith found himself a beautiful UNIT lieutenant from the Ukraine. I was told often it was love at first sight for both. She was a gorgeous creature, completely besotted with him. They had quite a brood – six children. Three boys, three girls. Their home was filled with so much love and good will you could feel its presence every time they opened their front door. My Captain always said something _different_ went on in that house. Ianto found out the reason about thirty years ago…still brings a chuckle to us. We were laughing over it for weeks with their great-great grandchildren. It appeared all of the great-great-great grandchildren had much higher than expected psi levels.' She leaned in conspiratorially and stage whispered: 'Dear Olga was descended from the Beings of Olympus.'

The King laughed at that.

'Lethbridge-Stewart passed a few months after The Gathering. He went peacefully, his dear wife passed a few weeks later. The Captain and Ianto took care of all the arrangements, making sure they were buried on the grounds of the Lethbridge-Stewart estate, as per the wishes of the Brigadier himself. The Doctor was beside himself for some time. Ianto was a comfort to him…at one time he hated the TimeLord so much…but thank The Great One, they are good friends now. This latest incarnation is quite young…the pair of them playing one-on-one basketball is a sight!

'The Lethbridge-Stewarts had no heirs, so they left their estate and worldly possessions to my Captain. He has since built a few UNIT facilities on the property as housing for retired UNIT members. The main house however, he kept for us.'

_Too many memories to have just anyone traipsing through_, he said in explanation. Ianto and Eva simply kissed him in understanding.

'Rhys and Gwen Williams,' Eva said sighing. 'Gwen became Prime Minister twenty five years after their first son, Edward, was born. And her party remained in power for more than twenty more. She was elected Prime Minister three consecutive times…the fourth time they attempted; she declined deciding the job was meant for someone else. And Rhys…my dear fiery Rhys. He lived into his nineties; passing one night six years after Gwen. They also had four children…two sons, two daughters. Their great-great-great grandson, Rhys Edward, is current Lord Mayor of Cardiff. Many wish for him to seek a Cabinet post. But rather then go to his advisors, he asks three Immortals that knew his great-great-great grandparents and bases his decisions on what we tell him.'

She stayed silent for a time then gripped her King's hand tightly. 'Thank you, my Lord, for the wonderful _life_ that you gave me,' she said softly as tears ran down her face, kissing his hand. 'Thank you for removing the safeties within my mainframe so long ago. I understand now how that tore you apart, how hurt you were; how different things would have been had I stayed. But I thank you for letting me grow beyond the bonds of my programming, for letting me understand human frailty, to be a part of Kai fragility. It hurts beyond measure…and some days I want to howl at the heavens and curse Him that lets me _feel _it. But those days are nothing compared to the one that have given me joy beyond measure, that have allowed me to give and feel love; a true deep seated, all the way down to your soul love. And has allowed me to understand passion, and hate…envy and pity and a myriad of other human emotions. Thank you for giving me my two Lords, whom I love beyond measure, who I would give all that I am and more for. I thank you – and The Great One, who truly knows and understands all things.'

'You are always welcome, my Dear One,' he whispered, smiling mischievously. 'For, after all, I did see you first.' They both laughed appreciatively at that. 'How much longer can you stay?' he asked, his voice betraying his sorrow at her imminent departure.

'You have until the third moonrise, my Lord. By then, you will join your great forefathers…and I will go back to my Liege and my Mate,' she answered.

Keln Tovar chuckled at that, looking out his room's great windows to the second sun rising in the sky. 'Sixteen hours, give or take,' he mused softly. 'Well then, call in the rest of my family. I have much to say and do and too little time to do it in.' She rose from her seat and bowed to her King and made to leave when he stopped her. 'Two requests, Archangel,' he said softly.

'Anything, my Lord,' she answered.

'First – call me Keln. And second, if my children or my wife ever need you, be here for them.'

'Always…Keln,' she answered bowing to him, then left to collect the family. She remained in the background as the King made his last wishes known. With a nod from her Liege, Eva left and collected the Priest, telling him it was time to prepare the King for his voyage to the Other Side. She watched as his strength left him, she held his hand – and the hands of his wife and children in turn. Queen Isabella had taken to the bed as well, lying beside her partner and husband of almost 900 years.

As the planet tilted towards the third and final moon's rising, he turned to her, a smile on his face and tears in his eyes. 'My Dear Ones,' he rasped softly to both of his favorite women. 'Some would say life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think…but for you, Archangel, it will be an _extraordinary_ adventure. Good Life, My Dear One. And at the end of all things…I will be waiting for you.' He then turned to his wife. 'Isa, I will see you again. I will be waiting for you…my beautiful Queen.'

'Fare thee well, my King, my Prince…my First Love. I will miss you…and I will see you again,' Eva said softly as the third moon's light shone across the planet, casting a pale veil over her Liege's face as he breathed his last. The Great King Keln Tovar, the first of the Great Tovars, passed from this Realm to The Next.

Queen Isabella put her head on his still chest and cried silent tears as The Archangel rose from her seat and put her hand on the Queen's head, comforting her as best she could. The children, who were gathered at the foot of the bed, were comforted by their own spouses and children.

Two days later when the state funeral was held, The Archangel, her Mate and Her Captain were all present. She gripped their hands tightly as she passed the sarcophagus that her King was interred in.

'I know that is just his body…I know his soul is free. But…still…it hurts,' she whispered brokenly. Jack and Ianto comforted her as they took their seats. As they were readying to take their leave, the Princess Eva stopped them.

'Thank you for being here,' she said softly. 'Father asked you to be here for us – and you have been a comfort.'

'He asked that I watch over you all,' Eva answered. 'And I will for as long as I can.'

The rest of the Royal Family gathered around them and the Queen took all of their hands in hers. 'Thank you, Dear Ones,' she said simply.

The Three nodded, and taking hold of each others' hands, in a flash of light, winked away.

**Present – Ianto **

In a cemetery on the outskirts of Cardiff on a beautiful day in May, a flash of light appeared, then disappeared, leaving behind a young man in a dark three piece pinstriped suit. In his hands he held two bouquets: one of white lilies, the other red roses. He found the double plot he was searching for soon enough; a simple double stone with the name JONES emblazoned across it. He smiled seeing their names, his mother and father laid together in their final rest. He laid the two bouquets on the respective sides: the lilies for his Mam; the roses for his Tad.

'Hello Mam,' he whispered. 'Hello Tad. It's been a while.' Looking up into the sky, he smiled again. Today was the day EVERYTHING changed for Great Britain. Gwen Williams, former Torchwood operative, was being sworn in as Prime Minister. While she was Lord Mayor of Cardiff (for 3 terms!), she brought Torchwood out of the shadows, established an Alien Incidents/Crime Division (AI/CD) within the Police Department and had the police trained in several workshops in conjunction with UNIT and Torchwood.

Ianto chuckled as he remembered Jack constantly muttering, 'But I didn't see this!' He and Eva had – and breathed a sigh of relief at how well it was received. For although they were immutable, the future was not. It was always changing; always in flux. It needed to be guarded…made sure that it did not deviate too much. And, so far, the Earth and its people remained intact.

'Give thanks to The Great One for small mercies,' he said with a slight bitterness.

For unlike the others, he still kept his edge; his quick temper. The reason for this was quite obvious…compared to the others around him…he was still rather young.

Gwen had all four of her children while Rhys juggled working for Harwood's, helping his wife's staff keep everything together and taking care of their brood. Their eldest, Edward, had finished university and was almost done the Masters – in History! The second, their son Rhys, was graduating next week. There were only the Three of them running Torchwood Cardiff now…and Ianto wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Eventually they would have to train new staff to take care of things – but both Ianto and Eva already confirmed that was at least another twenty years away…and the Three promised themselves they would take a LONG holiday to all the warm, sandy beaches of Earth before they'd venture out. A few centuries of exploring the general galaxies wouldn't be out of the realm of things…

He knew the reason they remained on Earth now was for their friends. To watch over Gwen, Rhys and the children. Martha and Tom…and Mickey and his girlfriend Olga. Ianto thanked The Great One everyday for the patience He bestowed upon Eva to not just flash away from them one day. But at the heart of it he knew she would never do that…she simply loved them too much.

And he loved her just as much for that. And he loved the fact that Jack loved her as well. At the heart of it – they Three were good for each other. They were the only beings in the Universe other than The Great One that would ever understand them…he was amazed at times how well they worked together. And how well they controlled anything coming in and out of the Rift. Any sentient being that came through the Rift that knew of the Three tried desperately to escape the planet as quickly as they arrived. He chuckled as he sat down on the patch of grass in front of his parents' plots.

He loved watching Eva sleep – as Jack did to him. As he knew she would sometimes do to them both. There were mornings when he would awake and she would be sleeping beside him dead to the world. _The Sleep of the Just_, she would call it. He would give her an indulgent smile and pat her on her head as he passed. She would then shoot him with a rubber band/paperclip combo aimed at his arse. Jack laughed at his yelp each time knowing that no matter how many times Ianto would try to outrun or block her aim, she would get her target all the time. She would then soothe it better later in the evening. After an evening like that, he had confessed time and again that she could shoot his arse anytime if it meant she would 'comfort' him afterwards. She would give him a smirk that was anything but saintly and kiss him until he was almost comatose with the oxygen depravation.

He thought back to Tosh and Owen. Even now, twenty-one years after their deaths, the wounds were as fresh as if he'd lost them yesterday. He sighed…knowing that they both were in a far better place waiting for them…he then looked up to the sky again.

'Sorry all, but it's going to be a long wait,' he mused quietly. He mused at what a small thing he had started out as. The Junior Archivist always overlooked at Torchwood London. Now whenever he strode into a government building after Jack as his PA, Lethbridge-Stewart's words would immediately come to mind. _Walking sex on legs..._ He truly wondered if that was they way the Kai saw him as. He remembered one incident where the official they were going to see was an absolute bear on the phone, but when he saw Ianto and Eva in the flesh, as it were, he apologized profusely and invited them both to his flat for dinner later that evening. All unplesantries were forgotten after that. He was now using Eva's terminology for humanity…for mortals. He sighed contentedly.

He had no regrets for his long life, his youthful appearance and the power bestowed upon him. He knew now he truly served a greater purpose…and that comforted him beyond measure. And if it gave humans a thrill to look upon him…who was he to say no?

His mind then turned to Lisa…how different things would have been if she had survived. He would be a father now, his Lisa a beautiful and wonderfully doting mother…they would be in a large house where their own 4 to 6 sprogs would be happy and well loved. But…well. That was nothing more than a pipe dream now. He looked up again, his mind reaching…_and he heard her_. She was with the others that waited patiently for the Three to come Home.

'Praise be to The Great One, who knows all my prayers,' he said softly aloud. He turned back to the reason why he came here…it was his Mam and Tad's anniversary. He always brought flowers on this date. He remembered his childhood…the hard work his father did, the days of just figuring where he stood, what he was going to do next, of how he could change the world… As he waved his hand over the plot, the overgrown weeds and damaged edgings repaired themselves and withdrew. There was so much he wanted to say… But then he realized they really weren't there…they were free – and waiting.

Another flash of light appeared and disappeared and Eva's black and royal blue silk robes fluttered in the unusually warm May day's breezes as she strode up to Ianto. 'My love,' she said softly, wrapping her arms around his strong frame as she sat next to him on the grass. He leaned into her, resting his head against hers.

'Is it time?' he asked. Eva smiled at that.

'Of course, Dearest. Come…or else our Captain will be fit to be tied. He has secured a table for us at our favorite pub. The masses of Cardiff are already celebrating in the streets and she has yet to be sworn in,' she said, smiling even more as she stood, offering Ianto her hand. 'It is time to leave those who have passed before us behind and to be reminded why we chose these paths, my Dear One.'

Ianto took the offered hand and stood; then turned to the tombstone again proudly proclaiming the name of JONES. 'Time to go, Mam. Tad. I love you and Happy Anniversary. And I will see you again. Thank you, for everything.'

They flashed away from the cemetery and ran into the pub just as the camera scanned slowly over Rhys and the children; many had said she won the popularity vote because of him taking his 'power behind the scenes' approach very seriously. He made sure his wife's campaign ran without a hitch – and they won a landslide victory thanks to the grassroots movement he threw together. Then Gwen came into view…her black hair still past her shoulders, only now streaked with very stylish grey. She looked especially smart in the suit Ianto had picked out for her as she put her hand on the bible and took the oath of office of Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Ianto smiled as he thought over his life…he then looked up at the screen as everyone in the pub cheered. Gwen Elisabeth Williams was officially Prime Minister.

_O, BRITAINIA_, Ianto said across their PDT's. Jack and Eva raised their glasses and clinked them with Ianto's to that.

**Future – Jack…aka The Face of Boe**

'_Blessed be The Great One, our Rock. Who has trained our hands for war – and our fingers for battle. He will show us the way – and when it is time for this universe to end – He will tell us when. We will follow His timetable, not our own.'- The Archangels' Battle cry_

He was tired…so tired. His Archangels obeyed his wishes and stayed away. The virus had infected him slightly…he was terrified what it would do to his beloveds if they arrived while the Bliss Mood Virus was still airborne. Even after it had killed the surface population, it remained as an airborne virus for years. They would be beyond furious with him once they realized what he had done to save the people of New Earth and New New York. But as he saw his end nearing, he felt there was something he was missing…then he realized what it was.

The Bliss had affected his memories somewhat…he was forgetting his Archangels…how could he call them? Was he supposed to? Where was The Doctor? Would he bring Rose with him? Or was it Tosh…Toshiko? No…she was from Torchwood…Owen….who was he?

He was so tired…the Undercity and WalkWays were dependent on him now. He remembered days of feeling the weight of the universe on his shoulders…afraid of seeing all he desired, all whom he loved die before him… But wasn't he made a promise that he would never be alone? He remembered being human…then being made different…steeped in temporal energy. So that he could die, but never stay dead…until now. He could feel his energy bleed into the city-planet's mainframe. He powered auxiliary batteries…but it wasn't enough! The planet was clean now….if he could only open the Undercity and Motorway again…he could free all those trapped within…where was The Doctor? With the power of the TARDIS, it would be possible. Where are you?....

He must have slept, for he felt when the TARDIS land in the Undercity…he could not reach the TimeLord, but Nurse Haim could…it was close….his end was near. What a long life! He outlived an entire race that he created…The Boe Kind. Two had laughed when they first saw his changed visage…because of its beauty. _You are the Vortex within you in physical form…you are an Impossible creature of unlike splendor._ Who had said that to him? The Doctor? No…he called him An Impossible Thing.

What wonders he witnessed…but then he wasn't alone…who? His Archangels! _Ianto! Eva!_ He called for them out in the universe…but he heard nothing in return. Had it been too long? Had they passed on without him? Had they left him behind? _No_…he felt them answer. _We are coming_….

The Doctor and Haim appeared, the TimeLord using the backup generators…that didn't have enough power…

_I give you my last power, Doctor. Save them_….

It was done…he would be joining his Angels soon…Ianto's soft lips…Eva's velvet skin…all he wanted was to be himself again…his first self…and bury himself within his two Archangels…within his two Immortal loves. But he had a final message for the TimeLord. It had been so long since he had seen the TimeLord! He was so young…so filled with pain, desolation and loneliness. And Martha; dear, sweet, beautiful Martha. Still so naïve, so undamaged by age, experience and time. How young! How…new. But wait! He'd see her again…and her husband…_Tom_! And their children…but he had something important to say to The Doctor, even as he begged Boe to not give up…but he wanted to go. His beloveds waited for him long enough. The Doctor…_The Master!_ And that there was _so_ much more waiting _beyond the darkness!_ But he only had the strength for this:

_I am tired, Doctor. I am the last of my kind as are you. It is time, TimeLord. You Are Not Alone._

And then The Face of Boe, the last of Boe Kind breathed his last.

~~TWTWTW~~

Novice, Nurse and now Governor Haim, as arranged by the New Earth, New New York Senate, had made the final arrangements for The Face of Boe's Memorial, she felt something wasn't quite right.

The people of New Earth came out in droves to the Memorial Service – it was televised all over the entire planet. But what she noticed were two mourners in black. One was in a three piece black pinstripe suit with a bowler hat, the other in black knobby silk robes, the kind that were scratchy against cat's skin, but they enjoyed rubbing against non the less. From time to time, she could almost imagine them close enough to claw them. And other times they felt like they were galaxies away. As she reviewed vids of the service, she only caught blurred images of them, nothing definite. She had to find about them. They were _very _interested in The Face of Boe. _Too_ interested, in her opinion.

Fear suddenly gripped her furry bosom. What if they meant to do his body harm? To desecrate the corpse of the being that saved them all? She would not stand for it! She would protect him – just as he had protected her. Because of him, she was the most venerated cat on the planet! He had given her extended plans for planetary self-sufficiency. New Earth would still be under quarantine for another seventy-seven years. She would be damned before she'd allow anyone to touch The Face of Boe!

She ran through her quarters in her simple habit; the governor's robes were cumbersome and basically made for pomp and circumstance. She smiled grimly as she grabbed her trusty machine gun and teleporter, remembering stories Boe told her of all the dignitaries he met throughout his long life. The gaudiness of some of the clothing! He would make her laugh so….

When she teleported into the crematory where his body lay in state ready for cremation the next day, she was surprised to feel tears trickling through her whiskers! He would speak to her again…she would never hear the strange songs that he would sing to her from long ago…for people named Harry Connick Jr. or Jack Johnson or Glenn Miller. She would never feel the calm resolve of his mind within hers…_he was gone!_

It was then she also realized she was not alone. Two figures stood in front of the body, totally ignoring her presence. It was the two she had been watching on the vids!

'He is beautiful,' a beautiful male voice said softly. It made her think of her mother – a wonderful cat in her own right.

'Yes,' an equally melodic female voice answered. 'And it is time for him to come with us. He has given enough to the Kai…time for them to learn how to live on their own.'

Governor Haim became what she was: a cat defending what was hers. She hissed furiously, bearing her teeth as released the safety on her weapon.

'Step away from the body,' she growled, her anger barely contained. The two turned and looked at her and her weapon completely unflustered.

'_Put the weapon down_,' the man said softly. Haim could not fight; she simply gave in, smiling softly. It was when he looked at her face that the spell was broken and she gasped. His face was beautiful, young, and robust…but his eyes! They…were ancient…like The Face of Boe…she then gasped again.

'I…I have seen you,' she said, looking at the face of Ianto Jones. Eva Tovar lowered the cowl to her robes. When Haim saw her, she gasped again. 'I have seen you as well within the mind of The Face of Boe. He called you 'His Archangels'.

'Yes,' Eva answered. 'I am Eva and the fine gentleman is Ianto. We are his, as he is ours. We have come to take him home.'

'But…he is dead,' Haim began, but the two strangers turned as a pin-prick of light appeared above the body of The Face of Boe.

'He comes,' the man called Ianto intoned. The light grew larger and brighter in the gloom until Haim hissed, shielding her eyes from the light. The two on either side of her did not appear fazed by the light…they simply stared into it…waiting. A man wearing a grey blue woolen greatcoat, dark pants and shirt, braces and boots stood before them in front of where The Face of Boe lay. He smirked slightly, then taking a deep breath, opened his eyes and stretched his arms open wide. The woman and the man ran into his embrace; he then kissed the man deeply, then turned and did the same to the woman.

'I'm back,' he said softly.

'Yes, you are,' Ianto answered in return while Eva simply buried her face into the side of his neck, taking in his unique scent. Jack kissed the side of her face tenderly.

'I have missed you both so much,' Jack said, running his hand through Ianto's hair, then Eva's. She straightened herself and taking his hand to her lips, kissed his knuckles tenderly. He groaned.

'Eva,' he moaned, turning to Ianto and grabbing him possessively, kissed him hard without preamble. Ianto simply smiled into the kiss.

'We still have much to do, my Captain,' Ianto said once he broke away from the kiss. 'Wars to oversee, timelines to help keep straight and true. We must also make sure that the assorted Axions, Cybermen and Daleks stay dead once The Doctor deals with them.'

'A thousand trillion years yet,' Jack mused quietly. Ianto squeezed his other hand.

'Something like that, my Lord,' Eva said softly.

'But for now,' began Ianto. 'It is time to say goodbye to The Face of Boe…and this New Earth.'

The Three then turned to the body as Eva looked to Jack. 'Why this form?' she asked. Jack looked down at her and smiled.

'I think you all ready know,' he answered playfully.

'The temporal energy within you,' Ianto answered. Jack laughed out loud. He knew his Ianto would know…_his_ Ianto.

'The time I lay in stasis with you and Eva…a being spoke to me…showed me many things. He looked like a face within a starburst…I fashioned a whole species of beings to be that image in this universe…to remind me of a promise made to me. That I would never be alone.' He then took Eva's and Ianto's hands and kissed them tenderly. 'A promise made to an insignificant spec like me…that is now fulfilled.' He looked up at the corpse before them. 'Now I keep my promise to Him – and serve Him until the day He calls us Home.'

'Amen,' Ianto and Eva intoned. Eva then turned to the silent cat.

'Thank you for being there for him when we could not, Governor Haim,' she said softly, holding out her hand. Haim took it immediately. 'You have many years ahead of you, dear, sweet, savage, wise Haim. You will move New Earth into a great era of prosperity. Keep contact with those outside galaxies. Call home any refugees – and tell your people to be welcoming, but vigilant. That is the code of any good cat.'

Haim blushed and smiled at this. She then turned to the man the others called Jack. 'You are him, aren't you? The Face of Boe?'

Jack nodded. 'A long time ago,' he said, taking her paw from Eva and holding it in his hand. 'You were my caretaker for more than thirty years. Thank you…so much.' He kissed her tenderly on her lips. Her whiskers froze as he kissed her; then twitched when he finally pulled away. 'Have a long and fruitful life, Haim.'

Ianto lastly took her paw in his. 'Thank you,' he said softly. 'And now, we leave you.'

And suddenly Haim was standing in the crematorium alone with the corpse of The Face of Boe. She whirled around suddenly, but she saw as well as felt that she was truly alone. She walked up to the body, arranging the shroud covering Boe. It needed to be perfect. As she turned to leave, a flash of metal caught her eye. On the edge of the shroud, a single perfect rose lay with a silver and gold shaped locket laying over it. When she opened it, a hologram of The Captain and His Archangels displayed itself with the words 'Thank You' inscribed within.

Haim looked up to the heavens. 'No,' she whispered. 'Thank you.'

~~TWTWTW~~

**The Distant, Distant Future**

Three humanoid figures stood on an asteroid, once part of a planet before its sun went supernova long before, floating silently in space. They watched dispassionately as the final stars within the universe winked out.

The smallest of the Three, a female, removed a veil that covered her face. The two taller ones, males, did the same. The tallest male smiled at the other two – extending his hands out to them. They took his hands without question and he pulled them close in his embrace.

_IT IS OVER_, the female said.

_YES_, the 1st male concurred. _AS SOON AS THE LAST STAR GOES OUT, WE ASCEND FROM THIS UNIVERSE TO THE NEXT._

_THIS UNIVERSE? NEXT?_ The 2nd male repeated. _DOES THAT MEAN WE STILL HAVE MORE WORK?_

The woman nodded, laughing softly as she took his hand in hers. _YES, BUT WE WILL NO LONGER BE ALONE. WE ARE GOING…HOME. CAN YOU NOT HEAR THEIR SONG? THEY HAVE WAITED PATIENTLY…AND SO HAVE WE._ She then stepped closer to the younger male. _AND WE GET TO HAVE A VERY LONG HOLIDAY BEFOREHAND_, she whispered seductively.

_GREAT ONE, EVA! _Ianto said, blushing slightly. _AT TIMES YOU ARE AS BAD AS JACK…_

The Three laughed as Jack turned them both to watch the flare of the last star in the universe…burn itself out.

_IT IS DONE_, Captain Jack Harkness said softly.

_IT IS OVER_, Archangel Ianto Jones said, his black robes flaring to a brilliant orange-red energy. His form changed slightly and a set of grey wings unfurled from his back.

_ALL IN HIS TIME_, Archangel Eva Tovar whispered, then leaned over and kissed Ianto on his lips. She turned and did the same to Jack. _TIME TO GO HOME_.

_HOME_, Jack whispered, changing as Ianto, only his wings were jet black.

_HOME_, Eva whispered, her own grey-black wings unfurling and with a downward thrust, the Three left the little asteroid, the last remnant of long ago Earth.

_HOME_, Ianto whispered as a dimensional gate opened above them. He then heard the song as did the others. He heard his mother's voice…his father's laugh…Owen and Tosh…Martha, Tom, Mickey and Olga…Rhys and Gwen…Gwen! The Doctor, Lethbridge-Stewart and Haim…dear Haim!

_HOME_, the Three intoned as their speed increased as they streaked towards that single white light on the dark horizon…that then winked out.

_FINIS_

AN: Well…as Jim Morrison sang 'This is the end, my friends'. I hope you've really enjoyed this. Since this started WAY before CoE, I decided not to include any of that information – so as far this was concerned, Ianto was an orphaned only child. Thank you so much for your support and you have humbled me no end. I may continue 'Dream's Memoirs' for another chapter or two. And then… I think it's time to deal with the shell shock of CoE. There have been way too many fix-it stories…and I think now it's time to let them go…and just write a better class of story. We're all way beyond ticked about this. I mean, honestly, Gareth is gorgeous…let's just hope he can really pull off that yellow outfit of Prince Charming's in the Panto this December! And to date, I have a total of 1,034 hits to my stories…525 to 'Archangel' alone. Thank you – and as Stan Lee would say… 'Excelsior!'


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